City Slickers
by caffinate-me
Summary: 2nd in the Western Series. 1876. When Sheriff Kate Beckett takes Richard Castle up on his offer to visit him in New York City, she finds herself in a whole new world. A world with new rules, hidden meanings and key players she didn't know existed. AU.
1. Chapter 1

City Slickers

Plot: Sequel to The Western Way. 1876, New York City. When Sheriff Katherine Beckett leaves Colorado Springs to take reporter, and aspiring novelist, Richard Castle up on his offer to visit him and his daughter in New York City, she finds herself in a whole new world. A world with new rules, hidden meanings and key players she didn't know existed. For some, the backhanded cattiness of society circles would be too much to handle, for Kate Beckett it is merely a challenge to be met head on.

** If you haven't read The Western Way, I would HIGHLY recommend you go back and read that one first, or you may find yourself extremely lost.** :)

Disclaimer: They are not mine, I just like to dress them up in cowboy boots and take them out to play every once in a while. ;)

A/N: All of your support, encouragement and excitement inspired me to write, and to write fast. So, without further ado, here is chapter one!

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><p><em>City Slicker- <em>_a person with the values generally associated with urban dwellers, typically regarded as unprincipled and untrustworthy._

Chapter 1

Katherine Beckett was at a loss for words when she stepped off of the train and onto the platform at Grand Central Terminal in New York City. Hundreds of people bustled around her and she was forced to move quickly until she was standing by a wall, so as to not get run over. There were men and women dressing in worn cotton clothing, much like the normal fashions in Colorado Springs, yelling for children and piling luggage to be loaded onto the trains. Then, there were men and women in fine formal wear- fluffy dresses and suits with top hats- watching while servants and platform works loaded the luggage for them. There were children in rags begging for money and there were children in their Sunday best ordering around nannies. Piles of chests and suitcases waited to be picked up by their owners in the middle of the platform. A hungry dog barked in the distance and Kate drew her duster tighter around her, crossing her arms around her middle to hold it in place. She grasped the letter with the Castles' address on it in her right hand and had her drawstring duffle bag firmly clasped in her left.

Kate inched along the wall, pausing briefly every few seconds to avoid being run into by other patrons, until she was able to slip through the nearest doorway into the station house. Kate stopped suddenly the moment she stepped through the doorway, causing a well-dressed man to curse at her after running into her back. She mumbled a vacant apology as she continued to stare up in wonder, turning in a circle to take in the full effect of the morning light streaming through the stained glass window into the station. The ornate ceiling towered over her, stories above. Little strands of color danced on walls and the floor, bouncing off of people and wrapping around their souls.

It was the single most breathtakingly beautiful thing Kate Beckett had seen in her life.

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><p>Kate stood staring up the steps to the townhome in front of her. The fluttering nervousness that had plagued her belly since the train had pulled into Grand Central was now churning into full nausea. It had taken a month for the train to make the trip from Colorado Springs to New York City- a trip that was supposed to take no more than a week- due to engine problems and freak snowstorms. That combined with the two month it took Castle's package to make it from New York to Colorado in the first place, left a three month gap between the initial invitation and her arrival. What if they didn't want her here anymore? A lot could happen in three months. What if they had taken her unintentional silence as a rejection? Kate bit down on her lower lip and awkwardly shifted from one foot to the other as she looked down at the crumpled letter, checking the address one last time. She had come all of this way; she couldn't turn back now.<p>

Her fingers were numb from the cold and from being clenched so tightly at her side, as she fumbled with the doorknocker, banging it stiffly against the door twice before letting her hand fall back to her side. She shifted again, staring down at her battered boots as she waited for someone to answer the door. After a few seconds, she heard a scuffling on the other side and looked up in time to see it swing open. She started as she found herself face to face with a beautiful blonde woman.

"Can I help you?" The woman asked, as she looked Kate up and down with very thinly veiled disgust.

"Oh, I'm sorry. I must have the wrong home. I was looking for Richard and Alexis Castle," Kate stuttered after a moment, tucking a clump of hair behind her ear and giving the woman an apologetic smile.

"No," the woman called after her, as Kate turned to leave. "You have the correct home. May I ask who is calling?"

Kate raised a single eyebrow. She really didn't like the woman's tone. "Kate. I'm a friend of Castle's."

"You are a friend of Richard's?" The woman questioned incredulously, continuing at Kate's nod of affirmation. "Well, he isn't here at the moment, he is at the office. I can tell him you stopped by."

"I'm sorry," Kate interrupted the woman's dismissal. "Who are you exactly?"

The woman gave Kate another once over before crossing her arms over her chest. "I am Gina Cowell, Richard's fiancé."

Kate felt her stomach drop along with her jaw. Fiancé? Castle was engaged? Kate's brain had almost managed to form a coherent thought that could be turned into a sentence when a very unladylike squeal emanated from inside the house. Gina's heads turned at the sound and Kate was able to peer around the other woman in time to see Alexis Castle, dressed in a very fluffy pink dress, bounding towards her. Kate dropped her bag onto the step and held out her arms just in time to catch Alexis in a tight embrace. Kate even found herself a little light headed at how tightly the girl was holding on to her as they spun in a circle on the small stoop of the townhouse.

"Sheriff Beckett, you came!" Alexis exclaimed as she released Kate from the hug and proceeded to drag her, past Gina, and into the entryway of the house. Kate reached back and managed to grab her bag before she was dragged away by the bouncing young woman.

"I was starting to think you weren't going to come!" Alexis continued as she stripped off and hung up Kate's hat and coat. "Father sent you that letter month's ago and we hadn't heard anything back since. But you did come. You're here! There is so much I need to tell you." Alexis paused briefly and pulled Kate into another tight hug, her nose crinkling a bit as she pulled back.

"No offense, but you sort of smell. Do you want to take a bath? I know that train ride is not fun. I think I sat in the bath for a whole hour when we got back to the city last year. Did you just get into town? You can stay here. We have a spare room, even though Grandmother moved in with us just last month. Father won't mind, I am sure."

"Alexis," Kate interrupted the girl, chuckling at her excited ramblings. Alexis quieted, still bouncing in place with a giant grin adorning her face. Kate felt her own face crack into an oversized smile. The girl's excitement was infectious.

"How about you ask your father first before you invite me to stay. I know certain considerations need to be take into account," Kate continued, her eyes flickering over to Gina, who was still standing by the door, looking somewhat stunned at the events of the last few minutes. Alexis's eyes widened briefly in understanding, before schooling her features and Kate continued.

"I came as soon as I got the invitation, Alexis, I promise. Due to the storms, it took two months for the package to arrive in Colorado and it took another month for the train to make the journey here. I never meant to make you think I forgot about you." Kate's flickered over to Gina once again before she lowered her head and answered Alexis's question quietly. "And, yes, a bath would be nice."

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><p>Kate let out a soft, content sigh as she sunk down into the steaming hot water. While, during stops on the train, she had managed to gather up some snow to melt in order to wash her face and the essential areas, she hadn't had a proper bath since leaving Colorado Springs a month earlier. Kate wrinkled her nose and grimaced at the layer of dirt, grime and oil that began to form on top of the bath water. She may live in a place where it was easy to get covered in a layer of dirt and dust but she was in no way a dirty person and the layer of filth that was coming off of her at the moment was just plain disgusting. She took in a deep breath and dunked her head under the water, letting her whole body stay submerged until her breath ran out. It felt so good to take a bath.<p>

Kate used the bar of soap to wash her hair and body three times before she deemed the water no longer usable and regretfully pulled herself from the tub. She bent over and unplugged the drain, watching, listening, as the dirty water swirled down, gurgling through a pipe and into the gutter that ran down the side of the house and into the sewers. It was amazing. Wrapped in the softest, fluffiest towel Kate had ever felt in her life, she practically danced across the room, trying to keep her bare feet off of the cold tile floor as much as possible. She grabbed the last set of clean clothes from her bag and wrapped the towel around her head as she proceeded to get dressed. Mirta, the housekeeper, had gathered up all of her dirty clothes with a tsk after drawing her bath earlier. The woman had mumbled something, in a heavily accented voice, about either having them cleaned or burned, as she had bustled her way out the door. Kate wasn't sure if she wanted to know which.

The sheriff pulled on her stockings and long johns before dressing in a pair of chocolate brown slacks and a dark pink button down with small white embroidered flowers on it. She took her time tucking it into the waistline of her pants, adjusting it until it looked and felt perfect. It was one of her best shirts, barely even worn. She glanced up as she pulled a hairbrush from her bag and started slightly when she saw her reflection staring back at her. They had a mirror? She rolled her eyes at her own at her own naivety. Of course they had a mirror, she had just missed it when she had come into the room earlier. She stared at her reflection for a moment longer before shaking her head and began running the brush through her impossibly long chestnut hair. She debated briefly pulling it back in a braid before deciding to forgo the plaited hairstyle in favor of letting it hang free. The strands would don a slight curl as they dried, causing it to bounce slightly.

Finally, she lowered herself to the floor, sitting cross-legged on the cool tile as she used her still damp towel to polish her boots. Kate ran the cloth over the beaten and battered leather until she was satisfied at the level of shine. She bit her lip and her eyes widened as she held up the towel after she was finished. Streaks of dirt marred the once perfectly white fluffy cloth. Mirta definitely would not be happy about that. Kate looked at it for another minute before shrugging and stuffing it into her bag. She would wash it and return it later. Quickly, she stuffed her stocking clad feet into her, now, cleaner boots and gathered up her belongings before exiting the gorgeous bathroom.

Kate looked around the hallway as she made her way back to the staircase. Paintings of landscapes and portraits donned the white walls. Her boots clomped quietly on the wooden floor. She was standing at the top step of the staircase, just out of view of the entry, when she heard the front door creak open and Alexis call out as the girl scampered towards it.

"Father! Guess who's here!"

"Well," Castle drew out, with a chuckle. "I already know your grandmother moved in, whether I like it or not and Gina is here getting ready everything ready for the party this evening…"

Kate bit her lip through a smile as she chest tightened as the sound of Alexis's impatient huff and Ricks teasing laughter floated up to her. She hadn't realized how much she had truly missed them.

"Come on, Father. Just guess. Please?" Alexis begged.

"Oh, I don't know. The Pope?"

Kate chose that moment to round the corner into view, swallowing down her sudden nervousness. She paused, after descending a couple of steps, as she felt his eyes on her and lifted her head until her bright green eyes met his equally expressive blue ones. They stood there for a long moment, both too afraid to smile as they took in the sight of each other.

"Kate," Castle breathed out, his eyes still glued to hers.

"Hey, Castle," she responded as she found the strength to finish making her way down the stairs.

She stopped in front of him and he stared at her for a moment, his hand coming up hesitantly to cup her cheek, like he didn't know if he expected her to be real or not.

"You're here."

Kate wasn't sure if it was a question or a statement of fact, but she nodded anyway. She was here. "I got here as fast as I could, once I received your letter."

Rick nodded again, his hand still touching her cheek, tentatively. Suddenly he snapped into motion and drew her into a bone-crushing hug that put Alexis's one from earlier to shame. She found her arms drawing up to wrap around his middle. Her face snuggled into the crook of his neck and she breathed him in- the smells of the city mixed with his normal scent. Tears prick at her eyes as she tried to blink them away. Oh, how she had missed him.

As quickly as she had felt herself being engulfed in the embrace, she felt herself being released as Gina's voice floated through the house.

"Richard? Is that you?"

Kate took a step back and all three of them stood slightly awkwardly, Kate staring intently at her shoes, as the blonde woman entered the room.

"Gina, " Castle started. "I take it you have met Kate?"

Gina, once again, looked Kate over, this time with better-hidden contempt as she nodded her head at the woman. "Yes, but I do believe we were interrupted before we could be properly introduced."

"Well, Gina, this is Sheriff Katherine Beckett. Kate this is Gina Cowell, my fiancé." Rick shifted uncomfortably at the final revelation.

"So, this is the Sheriff Beckett you are basing your little novel on. Richard, somehow you managed to leave out the part where Sheriff Beckett wasn't a man, didn't you?"

Kate ducked her head and suppressed a smile. This was going to be interesting.

Castle's mouth opened to form a reply, but once again Alexis interrupted. God, that girl had great timing.

"Sheriff Beckett can stay here, right Father? We have the extra room."

Both Castle and Gina looked between Alexis's excited face and Kate's worried one.

"I can go find a boarding house if it is a problem. I have a few dollars I can spare and I am sure I could barter for a room if needed."

Gina opened her mouth, probably to state that that finding a room would be a fantastic idea, but Castle spoke first. "Of course you can stay here."

Kate watched as a smile blossomed over Alexis's faces, Castle looked between her and Gina nervously, and Gina's jaw snapped shut. Oh, this was definitely going to be interesting.


	2. Chapter 2

City Slickers 

A/N: So you all totally overwhelmed me with your responses! You're excitement and encouragement for this sequel is awesome! I hope I can manage to live up to your expectations. Trust me, there are some nice twists coming, along with some very shiny dresses... and interesting hats. As for Gina, only time will tell. ;).

Here is chapter 2. Enjoy!

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><p><span>Chapter 2<span>

A tense silence filled the air as the four individuals sat in the formal living room. Kate and Alexis had just come back down stairs after dropping Kate's belongings off in her room: the first door on the left at the top of the stairs. The middle room belonged to Alexis and the third room in the upstairs belonged to Castle's mother, who they were waiting on at the moment to have lunch.

The tension in the room was palpable when Kate and Alexis had entered, and judging by the strained looks on Rick and Gina's faces, Kate felt it safe to assume that they had been fighting, probably about her. She was just about to open her mouth to once again voice that she really was fine with finding a boarding house to stay in when the front door burst open and an older, red haired lady bustled into the room.

"Richard, darling, you're home already," the woman exclaimed as she peeled off her coat, and gloves leaving her in a dark purple dress with a full bustle and a very ornate hat.

Kate's mouth opened to say hello as Castle, Alexis and Gina all stood, but found herself at a loss for words as she took in the intricate headpiece. Lace, beads, feathers and what looked like fur all intertwined into a maze of bows and tufts. It was probably haute couture, but to Kate it looked like someone had killed a small animal and attempted to dress it up like a Christmas tree.

Kate snapped her jaw shut and stood when she head Castle making introductions.

"Mother, this is Kate Beckett, the sheriff I told you about from Colorado. Kate this is my mother Martha Rogers."

Kate dipped her head at the older woman, her hands clasped in front of her. "Mrs. Rogers, it is a pleasure to meet you."

"Nonsense, dear, the pleasure is all mine. Richard and Alexis have been talking about you and your friend's constantly since they arrived back from out west. I am so glad you finally made it to our little city. And, dear, please do call me Martha. Mrs. Rogers does make me feel so old," Martha ordered as she stepped forward to bring Kate into a hug. One thing the sheriff had noticed about the Castle clan, they did like to hug.

Out of the corner of her eye, Kate saw Gina's jaw snap open and shut, what could only be described as envy crossing her face as it twisted from outrage to welcoming.

"Martha," Gina started. "I am so glad you made it back in time for lunch. It should be ready momentarily."

Martha's eyes flickered over to Gina, before giving Alexis a pat on the cheek and making her way towards the stairs. "That is Mrs. Rogers, Gina, and just give me a moment to freshen up. I will be down shortly."

Alexis let out a soft snort as Gina's face turned red, and Kate elbowed the girl gently in the side, effectively silencing her, as the four pairs of eyes watched as Martha glided her way up the stairs bustle swishing with her movements. She would have to find and interrogate the girl later about Castle's relationship with Gina and how the teenager felt about it. She pushed down her own emotions that had swelled up at the thought of Castle being engaged to the blonde socialite. She wasn't jealous. She wasn't. She was the one that had pushed him away. She was the one that had just wanted to be his friend, but she still couldn't help but feel betrayed that he hadn't told her he was engaged during that month in Colorado. She mentally shook her head. For all she knew they could have gotten engaged yesterday. She wouldn't think about that now, she would focus on Alexis's relationship with Gina. So far, she hadn't seen the two say a single word to each other and Gina hadn't even seemed to make an effort to connect with the girl. Kate wondered briefly if Castle understood what was going on and was simply ignoring it or if he was as clueless as he appeared.

A few minutes later, Gina had excused herself to check in with Eustice, the cook, and Kate's head turned as she heard someone descending the stairs. She had expected to see Martha, only to find herself face to face with Rebecca, Alexis's surly, outspoken, and overprotective nanny. The older woman stopped short when she saw Kate perched on the couch, staring back at her. Rebecca's eyes narrowed and she made a quick about face turn and marched herself back up the stairs and out of sight.

"It was nice to see you again, too, Rebecca. Truly it is always a pleasure," Kate called after her causing Castle to burst out into laughter.

"I swear, the only person that woman hate on this planet more than me, is you," he stated through his amusement, effectively shattering that tension that had been building up.

"If she is such a problem, why have you kept her around for sixteen years?" Kate questioned, her own face threatening to burst from her held in laughter.

"Are you kidding?" Castle squeaked in response. "Have you seen her? The woman is scary and I would have to be the one to fire her. No, she stays."

Kate smiled at the response, nodding her head in agreement. Rebecca was not a small woman, in fact, with her stern bun, stark grey dresses and the fact that she looked like she constantly sucked on lemons; the woman looked more like a gruff schoolmarm than a loving nanny.

"Besides," Castle continued, looking over at his daughter. "She loves Alexis and that is all that matters."

Kate nodded again as she leaned forward, her attention on the girl. "So, is Ashley still courting you?"

Alexis's face burst into a full smile as a blush tinged her cheeks and the tips of her ears. "Oh, I meant to tell you when you arrived; Ashley and I are betrothed! He asked me last month."

"Alexis, that is wonderful!" Kate grasped the girl's hand. "But what about university. I thought you wanted to go?"

"I do and I will. Ashley said he fully supports me and I have already found some universities willing to take women. It won't be easy, but my grades are high enough so that I should be able to get in. Also, a woman in Iowa was admitted to the Bar a few years ago. The first woman lawyer! Isn't that amazing? I think that is what I want to go for as well."

Kate's smile locked with Castle's as they turned to each other, both so proud of the young woman sitting in front of them.

"The women's rights movement is really picking up, even here in New York. Two states out west have already given women the right to vote and I believe women lawyers will be needed to help with the cause," Alexis continued and Kate saw Rick shift uncomfortably.

"Alexis," he began. "We've talked about this. I don't what you getting involved in business like that. It can be dangerous. There are plenty of people out there who do not want to see women advance and they are willing to do anything to make it happen, even hurting people."

Gina chose that moment to return from the kitchen. "I agree with your father, Alexis, those rallies are no place for a fine young woman like you. Personally, I think you should give up the whole foolish idea of university altogether and be happy marrying Ashley Sinclair. He is a good young man from a fine family. He will provide for you properly."

Alexis bristled slightly but any response that she had died on her lips as Eustice came out to announce lunch and Martha returned from the upstairs.

"So, how is everyone?" Rick asked as the five of them sat at one end of the large dinning room table.

Kate's eyes drifted over to him, from where she had been looking around the room, as she brought a forkful of food to her mouth. The cabinets were full of fine china, nicer than any she had ever seen in her life, and a large chandelier hung above the center of the table. Kate shifted in her red velvet chair and smiled at the thought of home and all of her friends.

"Jenny is pregnant. Kevin is so excited. He even tried his hand at carpentry in an attempt to build a cradle. My father ended up helping quite a bit." Kate smiled softly at the memory of the tilted, wobbling cradle, which later was turned into a sculpted masterpiece.

"Let's see, what else. Oh, yes, Javier and Lanie are officially courting." Kate's smile blossomed into a full-fledged grin as she held out her hand, palm up, wiggling her fingers at Castle. "Pay up."

Castle's eyes widened as he whined back at her. "Are you seriously going to make me pay?"

"A bet is a bet. You said Lanie would never give Espo a second thought. You were wrong. I was right. Pay up."

"This is not fair," Castle grumbled as he drug in his pocket for a 25-cent piece. You had an unfair advantage: you have known them your entire life. Plus, who knows, you could be lying."

Kate just smiled as he slapped the quarter into her waiting palm. "Well, then, you shouldn't have made the bet."

The group ate in silence for a moment before Rick's voice once again interrupted Kate's musings. "How are you doing, Kate?"

Her fork stilled on her plate as she looked over at him, all other eyes at the table staring at the pair. "I'm doing all right, Rick."

The words out of her mouth were for the benefit of the other three women sitting at the table with them. The story that she told with her eyes, that was for him alone, said so much more. It told him that they would talk about it later.

Castle nodded slowly at her response his next words coming out slowly, like he was hesitant to tell her. "There was an announcement of Josh and Annabelle marriage made soon after we returned."

Kate nodded as she took another bite. She already knew. Mrs. Davidson had been boasting about it all over town. Her voice had seemed to rise whenever Kate was within earshot.

"Oh," Gina piped up. "Was that the announcement of Joshua Davidson and Annabelle Du Bois? My parents attended the wedding. A doctor marrying a diplomat's daughter, it is a match made in heaven, if I may say so. According to my mother, the wedding was just beautiful. May I ask how you know them?"

Gina turned to look quizzically at Kate, who had closed her eyes in dread. "Josh and I grew up together in Colorado Springs."

"She and Josh were married," Alexis interjected at the same time, causing Kate's eyes to close once again and Gina's lips to purse.

"You're divorced?"

Kate could hear the judgment behind the words and gave a tight smile in return as Alexis sank down in her seat, as far as she could in her dress, and Martha and Rick watched on in silence. She needed to find a new topic- a safer topic- of conversation.

"Didn't you mention earlier that you were hosting a party tonight?"

Gina paused. "Yes, we are having a dinner party, just a few friends. We could try to find you something appropriate to wear if you would like to attend, but I am not sure if we have enough time."

Kate stabbed a bite of potato with a little more force than necessary as she and Gina stared each other down. So much for safer topics.

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><p>Kate wandered into the kitchen a couple of hours later. Castle had headed back out after lunch, stating apologetically that he was needed back at the paper for a short while and that he would be back as soon as he could. As soon as he left, Gina had excused herself to work on party details and shortly after that, Rebecca had drug Alexis away to work on her lessons. Martha was resting her eyes in her bedroom, in preparation for the evening's events. This had left Kate to explore the house. She had debated heading back out into the city for a little while but decided that that was a plan for the morning, when she was better rested. New York, after all, was an intimidating city.<p>

Eustice, the cook, was chopping vegetables when she wandered in and looked up in surprise. "Miss Beckett, what are you doing down here?"

"Call me Kate, Eustice. I was bored so I though I would give myself a tour of the house. Do you need any help?"

Eustice looked up at her in surprise. "Help? Oh, no, Miss Beckett. I couldn't ask you to help. You're a guest of Mr. Castle's."

Kate smiled at the other woman before perching on a wooden stool at the counter and pulling over a burlap sack of potatoes. Eustice was about her same age, maybe a couple of years younger. Her black hair was pulled back in a tight bun and a layer of flour covered her clothing and ebony skin. She reminded Kate a bit of Lanie and a pang of homesickness hit her heart as she thought about her best friend.

"I'm not from around here Eustice. I am not used to having anyone cook meals for me or clean up after me. So, please, let me at least peel the potatoes. Besides, with this party tonight I am sure I will be spending a lot of time in here with you." Kate pulled a knife out of one of her holsters and grabbed one of the vegetables out of the bag as Eustice paused her chopping to stare at her.

"You're not attending the party?"

Kate rolled her eyes as she expertly peeled the skin off of the potato in long winding strands. "Only if I find a dress. Gina didn't seem so keen on my wardrobe. Just call me Cinderella."

"Well, Cinderella," Eustice replied, pointing the tip of her knife at Kate's nose. "You just met your fairy god mother.


	3. Chapter 3

City Slickers

A/N: I think I have the best readers. :)

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><p><span>Chapter 3<span>

Kate stared at her reflection in the mirror. Oh, no, she shook her head at the image staring back at her. This was not going to happen. She looked like a puffed pastry; a yellow puffed pastry. She looked awful. The dress was pale yellow with white lace. She had enough petticoats on to warm a small village and the top was so tight that she could barely breathe. She had long accepted the fact that she was tall and lean with out a well-defined waist, hips or breasts. She was okay with that fact; apparently high fashion was not. She held her hands up to her waist and gasped as her fingers tips touched each other. She could fit her hands all the way around her waist. That wasn't natural. Suddenly, she felt like she was going to pass out.

"Ms. Beckett. Take small slow breaths. I'm sorry, I forgot that you have never worn a corset before," Eustice coached.

Kate shook her head. She couldn't go out there like this. She couldn't breathe, she was fluffy, she looked…

"Beautiful!" Kate turned as Alexis bounced into the room wearing a light green dress that made her hair and eyes pop. She was beautiful. "You look gorgeous!"

"Alexis…" Kate shook her head at the girl. "I don't think I can do this."

"Nonsense." Kate whirled around to see Rebecca bustling through the door. "We finally have you looking like a proper lady, I am not going to let you go back to those men's clothes. Now get over here and sit down. We need to do something with that mess you call hair."

Kate sat in the chair, silent, wide-eyed at Rebecca's orders. She wasn't positive, but there might have been a compliment in that statement. She winced as the stern woman pulled, twisted and huffed at her hair. At one point she yelped as one of the wooden pins she was using jabbed into her scalp. She might actually be bleeding.

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><p>She paused at the top of the stairs. Alexis had gone down a few minutes earlier when the Sinclairs had arrived and Eustice had gone back to the kitchen before that. She ran her hands over the sides of the dress one last time as she peaked around the corner. There had to be at least twenty people down there for Gina's "little" dinner party and Kate gulped. The gowns the women were wearing were much more formal than hers, not that she cared, but she was, once again, debating just hiding in her room for the night. That was a legitimate option. To quote the Irish, "It is better to be a coward for a minute than dead for the rest of your life" and for Kate, going down those stairs would be certain death. Of course, that would mean that Gina would win, but Kate wasn't competing with her, was she? That would mean that she was jealous of the other woman's relationship with Castle and that wasn't true. She hadn't jumped on a train and traveled all the way across the country to tell him that she wanted another chance with him; that she was stupid for letting him go. She had simply needed a vacation and had gone to see her friend and his lovely daughter and to… Oh, who was she kidding? He was the only man she had even looked twice at since Josh had left twelve years before. Twelve years and in one month he came into her life like a whirlwind, knocked down her walls and stolen her heart. The stupid son of a bitch. Great, now she was angry. He had knocked down those walls, made her fall for him, practically told her that he wanted to be with her and now he was engaged to Gina<em>.<em>

She sighed and turned to walk back down the hall. She couldn't do this.

"Oh, Darling!" Martha exclaimed as she came out of her room, Rebecca trailing behind her, and wrapped her hand around Kate's arm dragging her back towards the stairs. "You look lovely. That may not be the best color on you, but on such short notice it will do. For Alexis's sixteenth birthday party next week we will be sure to get you something better suited for your skin tone; maybe an olive or sapphire. Oh, a red would be lovely on you but it is such a risqué color. It's a shame- you have the prefect coloring for it."

Kate tried to protest as Martha pulled her down the stairs but she couldn't get a word in through the older woman's monologue. As they reached the middle of the staircase, in plain view of everyone in the room, and the guests turned to look at them, she gave a resigned sigh. Apparently, Cinderella was going to the ball whether she liked it or not.

Martha released her arm and drifted off, with an exclamation, as they reached the bottom step and she spotted a group of people across the room. Kate shuffled her feet a little in place, her hands fiddling in front of her, as she tried to figure out where to go. She looked down at the tips of her scuffed and beaten boots sticking out from the ruffled bottom of the dress. The shoes Eustice had found for her were too small so she was still wearing her usual boots. As long as she bent her knees a little bit the hem of the dress, which was maybe an inch or two too short, it would cover them.

"You look beautiful."

Kate looked up, startled, to see Castle standing before her, Gina inexplicably missing from his arm.

She rolled her eyes, attempting to hide the smile that threatened her face at the compliment. She wasn't allowed to smile; he was engaged to someone else. "I look like a lemon cream puff."

Rick chuckled low in his throat, the sound rumbling through his chest. "Well, you look like a beautiful lemon cream puff."

Kate couldn't help but laugh as she rolled her eyes again and dipped her head to hide the soft blush that threatened her cheeks. She threaded one of her hands through the elbow he was holding out for her. She looked around the room as they walked around, Castle introducing her to the small groups of people that had gathered. She could feel the men's eyes on her as she walked from group to group: some of them leering, other's watching her curiously, one or two with admiration and pride. The women gave tight smiles to her face as they dipped into slight curtseys, but Kate could feel the coldness, the contempt behind them. She could hear the whispers as she walked away.

"_Did you hear that she's divorced?"_

"_Her mother is a savage."_

"_I heard she is fond of wearing men's clothing."_

She wanted to shake her head, ignore the quiet words, but she couldn't move her head; her hair weighed too much.

The people and the dresses were beautiful; then men in waistcoats and bowties, pocket watches strung across their waists.

Kate glanced back over her shoulder in time to see Gina walking towards them, and unthreaded her arm from Rick's taking a step back so that the other woman could take her place. Gina threaded her arm through his, and Castle glanced over at Kate, giving her a small smile as Gina joined the conversation he had been having with another couple. Kate forced out a small smile and excused herself, wandering over towards Alexis, and a young man she could only assume was Ashley.

Her forced smile turned genuine as Alexis enthusiastically introduced her fiancé and the young man gave her a bow, telling her how please he was to meet Alexis's role model. Her heart melted a little bit. She had never been someone's role model before; she had never thought she was good enough to be one. Maybe she was.

Dinner was announced as Kate was being introduced to Ashley's parents and she forced herself not to role her eyes as everyone made their way over to the long dinning room table and Gina announced that she was sorry for the limited space since they had had an unexpected guest.

* * *

><p>Kate looked around at the women at the table as the food was being served by more waiting staff than she had ever seen before in her life. Two women that were sitting diagonally across from her were whispering to each other as their plates were being filled, looking over at her with sly glances. Kate narrowed her eyes at them and they looked away, scandalized. They quieted down as Grace was being said and Kate watched as everyone picked up their forks and started eating. The women placing tiny bites on the tips of the utensils. Of course, Kate thought, there was no way they could possibly eat very much at once with how the corsets bound their middles. She understood more now, why Alexis was so happy to receive the new clothes in Colorado.<p>

Kate glanced over at Alexis, who behind her planted smile, looked miserable as she sat, taking tiny bites of her food, Ashley sitting primly beside her.

"She's not eating because she does not know how to use a fork. You can dress the savage up but, in the end, it is still a savage."

Kate's eyes narrowed again as she heard the words come out of a blonde women's mouths as she leaned over to whisper to the brunette sitting next to her. Kate took in a deep breath. They had been whispering about her all night and she couldn't just politely smile back at them anymore. She had had enough of this; she wasn't one to just sit around while others talked about her. She didn't care what was proper at the moment. It wasn't proper to insult people behind their backs. She glanced over at Rick, who was talking quietly with Gina and bit her lips.

There was a sudden bang as Kate's elbows hit the table and she plucked one of the small potatoes up with her fingers taking a bite out of the side.

"What?" She asked the blonde as the other woman's jaw hung open and the whole table turned to look at Kate. "You're the one that said we savages didn't know how to use cutlery."

Kate popped the rest of the potato in her mouth as she smiled at the aghast woman. She turned to wink at Alexis who was turning purple as she tried to hold in her laughter on Kate's right, and caught sight of Rick and Gina staring at her as she did. Gina's mouth was hung open in the same form of the woman down the table and Rick was hiding a smile behind his napkin. Kate glanced around the table one last time, and judging the number of shocked faces around her, she had had enough fun. Daintily she picked up her napkin and dabbed it at her mouth before picking up the proper fork and knife and cut her chicken into bite-sized pieces.

"I will have you know Mrs…" Kate began, turning towards the blonde woman sitting across the table from her.

"Stevenson. Amanda Stevenson," the woman supplied, snapping out of her state of shock.

"Mrs. Stevenson that my father was born and raised in Boston and, while my mother was Cherokee, she was in no way a savage. None of them are. So, you might want to get to know me before you pass judgment or make assumptions about my behavior." Kate winked at the woman as she took a bite of the chicken, turning her fork upside down and sliding only the tip into her mouth, in proper fashion, before placing both the fork and knife back on the plate while she chewed.

Sometimes messing with people was too much fun. Kate watched as fury and embarrassment burned in the other woman's eyes and an angry red blush that made its way up the Amanda Stevenson's neck to her cheeks. SHe had the feeling that she had just made herself an enemy.

* * *

><p>Kate wandered down the back staircase into the kitchen later that night. She scratched a hand through her hair, which was finally hanging free, the ends glancing at her waist. The up do she had been forced to wear earlier that evening along with the binding dress had given her a dreadful headache.<p>

"Good evening Miss Beckett," Eustice, greeted as Kate made her way over to the stove.

"Eustice, how many times have I told you to call me Kate? Miss Beckett sounds too proper," Kate chided her new friend as she filled the kettle and lit the stove.

"I'm sorry Miss Beckett. Kate. It is something for me to get used to."

Kate looked over at the other woman. "Why are you still here Eustice? It is almost nine o'clock. Shouldn't you be home with your family?"

Eustice let out a soft huff and shook her head as her hands continued to kneed a mound of dough. "Miss Cowell is hosting a breakfast in the morning and I need to get started on the pastries if I want them to be done on time. I'm sorry, I shouldn't speak ill of her. It isn't proper."

Kate huffed and pushed up the sleeves on her shirt as she waited for her water to boil. From her experiences, it was the proper women that did the most badmouthing. "Well, I can help you. Maybe it will go a little bit faster with the two of us working. Why is she hosting the breakfast here?"

Eustice glanced around the quiet kitchen, debating her next words, listening to see if anyone was hiding in shadows or around corners. "Miss Cowell's family came into a lot of money when they first came over here from London. They bought up a bunch of this land before New York was even thought of and sold it off piece by piece to developers. Lot's of money. Rumor has it though, that her parents lost almost all of it in an investment scheme. They are so close to broke they can almost taste the stale bread and water. Miss Cowell, though, has a trust fund but she can only get to it if she is married."

Kate looked up at the revelation. "So Gina is marrying Castle for money?"

Eustice simply shrugged and went back to her needing. "Well, it certainly isn't for her love of young Ms. Castle. I overheard her saying that she was planning on either marrying her off or shipping her off to boarding school as soon as the vows were spoken. Mr. Castle definitely would not look kindly on that."

"But what about Rick? Surely he must know…"

Eustice abandoned the dough with a sigh, wiping her hands on her apron before she turned to Kate. "Mr. Castle moped around here for two months when they came back from Colorado. I think he was waiting to hear from you, hoping that you would show up or write. You didn't and he gave up hope. Miss Cowell was persistent and Mr. Castle thought it would be for the best. They only got engaged two weeks ago, but Ms. Cowell is pushing for a wedding as soon as possible."

* * *

><p>"You know, that was a very brave and very stupid stunt you pulled at dinner this evening." Kate looked up to see Martha Rodgers leaning against the doorframe leading to the kitchen, a dressing gown wrapped around her body.<p>

"Why do you say that?" Kate questioned in return as she lifted the cup of hot tea to her lips. Eustice had stepped outside to gather up some of the stored fruit that she needed, leaving Kate alone in the kitchen with her tea and thoughts.

"Trust me dear, I am no stranger to being scandalized in this circle. I refused to remarry after Richard's father died. Instead, I got a job and raised him myself."

Kate looked at her in confusion. "Martha, I think that is a very brave thing to do."

"I know you do Dear, but you aren't from around here. Here, women get married. They do not have jobs; they do not raise children alone. Trust me, with these people, my actions were the scandal of the century. While I found your little show tonight quite entertaining, I can assure you others did not feel the same way. Amanda Stevenson is not someone you want to have on your bad side and believe me, Sweetheart, you embody everything these women love to hate. Just promise me you will be careful? They can be a lot more dangerous than they look, and here, you can't just go around shooting people."

Kate nodded silently as Martha made her way over and squeezed her shoulder lovingly.

"Oh, and Katherine?" Martha paused as she made her way back towards the stairs. "You did look beautiful tonight. Sometimes I think my son must be a fool."

It was Kate's turn to be slack jawed as she watched the older woman walk up the narrow staircase and disappear into the darkened hallway.


	4. Chapter 4

City Slickers

A/N: Have I mentioned that you all rock my socks? Because you do. I seriously am overwhelmed by the love and support you have for this story. It may have a small following, but you are definitely a dedicated bunch and I love you for it.

This is a little bit of a slow chapter, but you finally get some Rick-Kate time. Yay! As always, read and enjoy! :)

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><p><span>Chapter 4<span>

When she awoke the next morning, to the clomp of horse hooves and the sounds of people chattering on the streets below instead of the customary rooster, Kate was surprised to find that she had slept later than she had in years. She stretched lazily on the sinfully comfortable mattress and sighed. Rubbing her eyes, she partly expecting the last month of travel and the overly surreal past day, of arriving in New York, learning that both Rick and Alexis were engaged and the party, to be a twisted dream. But, alas, she was lying in Richard Castle's guest bedroom atop the most comfortable bed she had ever felt in her life.

Slipping out from between the soft sheets she pulled on the same pants and shirt she had been wearing the day before, since Mirta still possessed all of her others, and ran her hands through her hair as way of brushing it. Out of habit, she strapped a knife to her ankle and one to her back before pulling on her boots. She took a second to look at her gun, debating whether to take it or not. In the end, she decided against it; there was less chance she would shoot a socialite that way. Quietly she slipped out the door and made her way down the back staircase to the kitchen. She peaked her head in to see Eustice hard at work, Gina rambling about something as the cook bustled around the kitchen. Apparently, the guests had just arrived and Gina was giving last minute orders before heading back out to fulfill her hostess duties. Rick and Alexis were nowhere to be seen.

Kate crept back up the stairs and made her way quickly to the front staircase and stealthily snuck down, her back against the wall, not letting the heels of her boots hit the steps. She breathed a sigh of relief as she reached the last stair and grabbed her hat and jacket off of the hook before sliding out the front door and plopping down on the top step. She was in the middle of rolling a cigarette, watching the people on the street stroll by, when the door behind her opened and she felt a body sit down beside her.

"That was some fancy footwork you did in there to get down those stairs and out the door without anyone noticing."

Kate smiled at the sound of his voice, her eyes never leaving the street. "See that, did you? Were you impressed?"

"Extremely." Rick paused, watching her, as she finished rolling her cigarette and pulled a little box of matches out of her coat pocket. "You're really here."

Kate turned her head to look at him through her curtain of hair, her hat hanging down her back. "Yeah, I am really here. Surreal, is it not?"

"Very surreal. I missed you."

Kate pushed her hair out of her way, looking at him full on, without a barrier of protection. "I missed you, too."

They sat in silence for a few more minutes, watching the world go by. Kate lifted the cigarette to her lips.

"Those can't possibly be good for you, all of that smoke entering your body. People who inhale smoke from fires die because of it." Castle pointed out as she slid her eyes over to look at him, her head never turning.

She shook her head as she exhaled and laughed. "That is only for you white men. We savages can breathe this stuff in just fine."

"Kate…" Rick chided, gently reminding her not to listen to the twittering group in the room behind them.

"Shouldn't you be in there?" Kate nodded her head back towards the door. She was trying to ignore her hurt feelings, her anger. He was talking, joking, looking at her the way he had at the train station all those months ago and she couldn't handle it. It wasn't fair and she couldn't tell if he was doing it on purpose or not.

"No, that is Gina's breakfast. I would probably just get in the way. Besides, I would rather be out here with you."

"Castle. You can't say things like that."

"Like what? That I wouldn't rather spend the day with my best friend instead of the group of backstabbing socialites inside that house because it is the truth. I want to see you."

Kate nodded. Best friend. It hurt, more than it should, to hear that classification, but she could make do with it. He was engaged to Gina and she could be the best friend.

"I stopped drinking," she confessed quietly as she watched the remaining paper from her cigarette burn away on the step. "I haven't had any alcohol in almost three months."

His hand wrapped around her knee, squeezing it in pride and support as he turned his body so he could look at her. "How are you, really, Kate?"

She looked back over the street as an enclosed carriage rolled past and she couldn't keep her eyes from following it down the road. Things she had only ever seen in drawings were right in front of her. It was amazing.

"I miss whiskey."

Castle let out a small huff of irritation and removed his hand from her knee. Kate closed her eyes for a moment, instantly regretting her flippant response, and reached out to catch his hand, her fist closing around his finger tips.

"I'm doing better, Rick. I am not all the way there yet, but I am getting better. Colonel Maynard is doing his best to help the Cherokee, my father is happy and healthy and I am making it through day by day. It's hard to do alone, but I am doing it. I should be used to being alone by now."

She released his hand, letting hers fall to her side, trying to ignore him as he blatantly stared at her. "You're not alone, Kate. I'm here for you."

Kate shook her head. "No, you left."

"I had to," Rick began, running a hand over his head, messing up his perfectly groomed hair.

"I know, Rick." Kate interrupted. That hadn't come out right. "I am not faulting you for leaving. Both you and Alexis need to be here, and there is nothing wrong with that. We have two very different lives, I have been in New York for one day and I can see that."

* * *

><p>Castle looked at her for a few more long seconds. She had called him Rick. She had never called him by his first name before and he found himself smiling at the sound of it rolling off her tongue and past her lips. He had had enough serious talk. "That's only because you haven't seen enough of the city yet. Trust me, once you see the best parts of New York you will never want to go back to Colorado. Come on. We're going out."<p>

Castle pushed himself off the step and held his hand out to pull Kate up with him.

They walked down the road silently, side by side, Kate taking in the new world around her and Castle watching her. He was blatantly staring and he knew it. He also knew he shouldn't be doing it, but he couldn't help himself. She was so beautiful, strong and smart. He would be fool not to look at her for as long as possible.

"You're staring, Castle. It's disturbing." Kate stated, her eyes never moving from the path in front of them.

"I'm not," he stuttered out in vain. He had definitely been staring.

Kate rolled her eyes and he smiled. He truly had missed her and he felt his heart swell in his chest before he shook his head. She had said it herself, she didn't belong here in New York and that it would never work between them. She still wasn't ready for a relationship and even if she were, Alexis needed to be here and Kate wouldn't want to stay in the city. She belonged back in Colorado. As beautiful as she had looked the night before in the gown, with her hair twisted up in curls, she would be miserable forced to live that life day after day. She knew that, he knew that. He just had to accept it and move on. Gina was his chance to move on.

Shaking himself from his thoughts, he spotted a shop up ahead. "Wait here," he ordered as he put a hand on her arm to still her movements. "I have to get something for you."

Kate raised a single eyebrow at his command but complied, stopping to lean against a wall, her leg bent up, bracing her, in usual form.

He strolled quickly towards the shop, standing at the counter, pointing out what he wanted and paying as quickly as possible. When he walked back, his purchase in his hand, he found Kate in the same spot he had left her and he let out a sigh of relief. It wasn't that he was afraid she would wander off; he was afraid he would turn around and find that she had never truly been there at all, that his imagination was playing an evil trick on him. But she was here.

"This is for you," he stated grandly as he held out his hand and bowed towards her.

She took the object from his hand hesitantly, bursting into laughter that made the passing pedestrians on the street turn to stare as she figured out what it was. "A lemon cream puff?"

"I saw it and thought of you."

"You're a bastard."

"You love me."

Castle's breath caught in his throat as Kate's eyes grew wide. He hadn't meant to say that.

"I… Kate… I didn't mean..."

"It's fine, Castle," she dismissed, taking a bite of the pastry and setting off again down the road. "This is good. You should try one."

They walked in silence again but this time it was fraught with tension and the emotions they were both trying to suppress for the other's good.

"So," Kate started after another few minutes. "You're really writing a book?"

Castle nodded. The book. He could talk about the book. "Yes, ma'am, it is the tale of a fearless, tough as nails sheriff who is the only person smart enough to take down the countries worst fugitives and, of course, is beautiful and cunning while doing it."

"So, your sheriff is a woman? I thought you would make it a man so you could actually have the chance of getting it published."

"Oh, don't you worry, my dear Sheriff Beckett. I will get it published. That is the benefit of having friends in the publishing field." Castle's chest puffed out slightly as he laid out his plan for her. The up side of being the acting editor of the New York Times was the connections he was obtaining in the business. He would get his novel published, he would tell Kate's extraordinary story.

"What's her name?"

"Excuse me?"

"Your sheriff's name. What is it?"

"Caroline West."

Kate let out a sigh of relief. "That's not so bad."

"You were expecting a bad name?"

She just smiled and Castle chuckled. He could already see the eye roll he would get when he told her the two titles he was currently debating between: "Carry Me Home" and "How West Was Won.". He would probably get an ear twist for the last one. No one won Kate Beckett, not yet at least.

He looked over at her again, watching as she popped the last bit of the pastry into her mouth. Her hair still held a slight curl from the party and her cheeks had a little more fill than they had when he had last seen her walking away from him on that platform in Colorado. Her boots were still scuffed, her hat hung down her back in its usual fashion and her hands were jammed into the pockets of her coat. She was still the Kate he knew and… No, he wasn't going there; one slip for the day was enough. She was still his Kate; she was just better.

"You really do look good Kate."

She looked up at him and her genuine smile warmed his heart. "Thanks Castle. So do you."

He could hear in her voice that she meant it.


	5. Chapter 5

City Slickers 

A/N: I would like to apologize in advance for the slowing down of chapters. Classes have started up again and I can already tell that this semester is going to be long and hard (Can anyone else say yay for 30 page research papers?) Anyway, as I said for Florida Heat, I will update as much as possible but it won't be the one a day updates from over the breaks.( *for clarification this is not a dig at anyone. It is just an fyi that updates may not be as frequent*). :) In any case, thank you for your support. I'm glad you all are having fun reading this story because I am having lots of fun writing it and trust me, there are lots more twists and turns along the way. ;)

Now, on to chapter 5!

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><p><span>Chapter 5<span>

Kate placed the book on her bedside table gently as she silently rolled off the bed and picked up one of her knives. She had raided Castle's library earlier, astounded at the number of volumes and titles that stared back at her. Some of her favorites, intermingling with books she had never heard of before. There were even some novels that had been banned from publishing adorning the shelves. The past couple of days had been tense: between shopping for dresses and awkward conversations with Castle and Gina, Kate was exhausted. After dinner she had excused herself to her room, a volume from the library clutched in her hand. She was going to read and relax, forcing herself to gain the strength to face tomorrow. She had already promised to stay for Alexis's party but she wasn't sure how much longer she could continue to do this after then. She had tried to convince herself that she could play the part of best friend, but it was wearing on her, grinding her down.

The wood in the hall creaked again and she crept to the door, her feet light on the floor. Pausing for a second to listen, she turned the knob and flung the door open only to find herself face to face with a young red headed girl.

"Alexis?" Kate let the knife fall to her side as she pulled her hair back out of her face, letting out a deep breath. "What are you doing? Where are you going?"

Alexis looked up at her, panic evident in the girl's eyes. "I was thirsty. I was just going down to the kitchen to get a glass of water."

Kate raised an eyebrow, her arms crossed over her chest, knife dangling from her fingertips, as she looked at Alexis, taking in her clothing- one of the dresses Kate had given her in Colorado covered by a hooded cloak and boots. "You decided to get dressed in that to go down to the kitchen?"

Alexis looked down at her feet as she shifted slightly. "Yes?"

"Alexis."

"Fine. There is a suffragette meeting tonight that I really want to go to, but Father won't let me since he thinks it is dangerous. So, I was sneaking out," Alexis breathed out as Kate stared her down like she would a suspect being held in her jail.

Kate's eyebrows rose to her hairline as she continued to stare at the girl, not speaking, her brain merely trying to process her thoughts. "You were what? Alexis, do you know how dangerous that is? There are bad people out there who would hurt you just because you were walking around at night, and if no one knew where you were? What if something happened to you? Not to mention the fact that your father doesn't want you to go to those meetings for a reason. Bad things can happen at rallies. People get hurt!"

Kate ran a hand through her hair again as anger and petulance reflected back at her from Alexis's eyes. Maybe she had no right to "mother" the girl, and maybe she had gone a bit to far with her rant, but Rick was right. It was a dangerous city; there were too many people in too small an area. Bad things were bound to happen.

"I am going to this meeting, Kate, and you can't stop me. What would you do? Tell Father? Well you know what, I would just go to the next one. I don't care about the danger, I care about the cause and I am going whether you like it or not."

Alexis stared up at her, a level of steel on her face that Kate had never seen there before and she felt her shoulders sag. From the first time they had met in Colorado Springs, Kate had felt a connection to the girl. At first she had thought it was because Alexis reminded her of her own daughter with the shocking red hair, bright blue eyes and cherub like face. Now, she could see it was more than that. Alexis reminded her of herself. Kate new, because of that, she would not be able to stop her. The girl had a will and she would find a way.

"Fine," Kate relented. "Just give me a minute to get dressed. If you are insisting on going to this thing, I am going with you. At least, that way, I will know you are safe."

Alexis's smile was as bright as the light from the oil lamp shining on the side table as she followed Kate into the room, sitting on the edge of the bed while she waited for Kate to get dressed.

"Thank you," she girl stated as Kate threw a shirt over her head and shoved her feet into her boots.

"Don't thank me, Alexis. Thank your own stubborn nature. If I thought it would do any good, I would have you hog tied on the floor right now, but I have the feeling you would be able to work your way out of that, too. Why does this meeting, these suffragettes mean so much to you anyway?"

Kate paused from lacing up her second boot, a knife secured to it's side, as Alexis's response floated back to her. "Because not everyone can be like you, Kate. Some of us aren't strong enough to make it on our own."

"Oh, sweetie," Kate replied, straightening up so she could pull Alexis into a hug. "You are so much stronger than you think you are."

Alexis nodded into Kate's shoulder. "We should go. I don't want to be late."

* * *

><p>The city was eerily quiet at night. A few drunken men sang off key at a corner and there were a few calls from prostitutes enticing the drunken men over, but the absence of chatter and horse hooves made the streets more silent than ever. Kate followed Alexis through the darkened streets as they made their way around the grids of brownstones and shops. Their feet crunching softly into the thin layer of snow that still covered the ground. Her hand never left the security of her side and her revolver. She had a bad feeling about this.<p>

The storefront was dark and quiet when Alexis stopped to knock, her fist connecting with the wood in an intricate pattern that Kate listened to, memorizing. These women were not taking their secrecy lightly.

"Alexis, hello," a dark haired woman whispered as she cracked the door open cautiously, only exposing a sliver of her face at first. "Who is this?"

Kate attempted not to roll her eyes as the woman eyed her suspiciously, crinkling her nose at her chosen outfit: a white shirt and black pants, with her usual hat and coat. At least Mirta had finally relinquished her laundry.

"Laura, this is my friend Kate. I told you about her."

Laura swung the door open wider as her suspicious look morphed into a welcoming smile. "Kate? Hello! It is so nice to meet you. Alexis has been telling us about you since she joined our movement. She said you inspired her!"

The girl's shift in attitude threw Kate for a minute, before she was able to recover and nodded at the girl, who couldn't have been much older than Alexis. If Kate had to guess she would say Laura was about eighteen years of age, dressed in similar plain floral print dress and bonnet.

She ushered the two of them into the store quickly and hurried them along into the backroom. "We are about to start."

Kate hung back during the meeting, keeping one eye peeking out through the doorway into the front of the store as she leaned against the wall. She couldn't suppress the anxious feeling inside of her, gnawing at her gut telling her something was wrong, something was about to happen. Slowly, she pushed herself off of the wall and made her way into the storefront, standing next to the large picture window. She angled herself against the wall, deep in the shadow, so that she could see out into the dark street but no one could see her if they happened to glance in. She watched, breath held as a single carriage clomped by, the horses hooves pounding steadily over the compact dirt road. Her eyes traveled with it as it floated by the store and she let out her held breath with a shake of her head. She was probably just being paranoid.

Kate was about to turn around and slink back into the meeting when a sound from down the block caught her attention and she turned back to look out the window. The group of drunken men who had been singing on the corner a couple blocks down were swaying their way down the street, bottles in hand, voices piercing the night as loudly as they could as they droned on in off key song. Kate shook her head, smiling softly as she rolled her eyes at herself as she told herself she was being paranoid once again.

Then she saw it.

A light flickered next to one of their hands as it connected to a rag sticking out of the tops of one of the bottles.

Kate's eyes grew wide and she bolted for the back of the store, yelling for all of the women to get down as the bottle crashed through the front window and the merchandise in the front of the store burst into flames.

"Alexis!" Kate yelled through the roar of the fire and the smoke induced coughing. "Alexis where are you?"

Kate looked up, from where she had been scanning the floor, her bandana, which was usually shoved into her pocket brought up around her face, when she felt a hand on her arm.

"I'm here, Kate."

Alexis's eyes were wide in fright, but she looked relatively unharmed other than a couple of bumps and scraped from where she had dove to the floor.

"Come on," Kate responded, grabbing the girl's hand to pull her towards the back door. "You have to get out of here."

"Wait, what about everyone else?" Alexis cried.

"Once I get you out of here and safe I'll come back for them, all right?" Kate placated as she pulled the girl along behind her.

Once Alexis was safe in the back alley Kate ran back into the building, bandana tied around her face. Some of the women stumbled out past her of their own accord and Kate motioned for them to join Alexis huddled in a corner of the alley as she made her way back to the meeting area.

"Laura?" Kate called as she leaned down over the limp body of the girl, the only one she could see left in the room. "Laura, can you hear me?"

The young brunette had been towards the front of the room, near one of the first walls that had gone up in flames and Kate shook her head as she tapped on the girl's cheek lightly. "You have to wake up, Sweetie."

When Laura failed to respond, Kate lifted her up by her arm, halfway dragging her towards the back of the building. The wood creaked around them and the fire hissed as people at the front of the store threw water attempting to snuff it out. The smoke was so dense that Kate slammed her shoulder into a wall as she stumbled towards the door. She couldn't see a thing as she walked hunched, dragging the prone girl along with her.

Kate practically fell into the alley as the other women ran towards her, pulling both her and Laura the rest of the way out of the building. She yanked the bandana down from around her mouth and coughed into her sleeve, hacking up the smoke and ash that had made it into her lungs. Maybe Castle had been right about that whole smoking thing.

"We have to get out of here," Kate ordered as soon as she could speak again.

The other women looked at each other and at her before nodding in agreement, some of them already walking quickly towards opposite ends of the alley. Kate turned to those who remained, nodding towards the still unconscious girl. "Does anyone know where she lives?"

Everyone shook their heads and Alexis stared down at her wide-eyed. "We can't just leave her!"

Kate nodded in agreement. "No, come on, help me get her up. We'll take her home with us."

"But Father…" Alexis started as she bent over to help Kate prop Laura up.

"Is not our biggest concern tonight. Come on, we have to get out of here before those men decide they want to do more."

Alexis nodded silently as they made their way down the alley and back out to the main road only a block down from the townhouse, walking steadily with Laura held between them. They stumbled slightly as they made their way up the stairs and Kate turned the knob of the front door with relative ease, careful not to let go of the girl.

"Where have you been?"

Both Kate and Alexis jumped as Rick's voice boomed through the entry and he stopped short at the sight of them battered and bruised, covered in a fine layer of soot, holding an unconscious girl between them.

"Hello, Father," Alexis started meekly. "So, funny story…"

* * *

><p>"You had no right!" Castle yelled across the study, as he and Kate stood face to face.<p>

The three of them together had managed to get Laura up the stairs and into the bed in Kate's room, as it was the closest to the stairs. Alexis had gone to wake Rebecca and together they were tending to the unconscious young woman as Rick and Kate faced off downstairs.

"What was I supposed to do, Castle, let her go alone?" Kate yelled back, her eyes ablaze, hands on her hips.

Castle spluttered for a moment. "No! You were supposed to stop her."

"And how exactly would you like me to do that? Tie her up? Because I am pretty sure that would be the only way to keep that girl from doing anything. I threatened to tell you and all she said was that she would go another night. She is strong willed and bull headed. Nothing would have stopped her from getting to those meeting eventually. Trust me, I know. So, I did the only thing I could think of to protect her. I went along and you know what, it was a good thing that I did."

Castle's face was turning a deep purple as he stared at her from across the room where he had finally stopped pacing. His hands were twitching angrily at his sides, fingers bending and flexing in agitation.

"You know I am right," she continued, her voice gentle, when he failed to respond, his face finally calming to a deep red. "If Alexis wants to do something, she is going to find a way to do it. She's not a little girl anymore; you can't make her do what you want."

Castle sighed and sunk down onto the couch. "I'm not sure if I was ever able to in the first place. That girl had me wrapped around her finger from day one."

Kate walked over slowly, sinking down next to him. "She's all right Rick. We were both lucky today."

He nodded in response and she gripped his fingers in hers. "I don't know what I am going to do with the two of you. You women are going to give me a heart attack some day."

Kate smirked in response. "You wouldn't have us any other way."

Castle snorted, running a hand down over his face and back up through his hair. "God give me strength. You're right. I wouldn't."

"Come on," she continued after a moment of silence both of them staring off into space as the excitement of the last few hours wore off and exhaustion took over. "We need to check on the girls and then we have to get some sleep."

Castle quirked an eyebrow as his anger continued to subside and his joking nature took over. "And where exactly are you going to sleep tonight?"

Kate turned to him, mouth agape. "Richard Castle! I am going bunk on the floor in Alexis's room. I thank you to get any inappropriate thoughts out of your head this instant. You are an engaged man and I am an honest woman."

Kate pushed herself off of the sofa and made to walk towards the stairs when his hand tightened around hers, effectively tugging her back. "What if I didn't want you to be?"

Kate turned to stare at him, rising to stand in front of her, her eyes wide as he brought his hand up to cup her face. "What if I made a mistake, Kate?"


	6. Chapter 6

City Slickers

A/N1: Oh, ye of little faith. Did you really think I would make it that easy?

A/N2: Please don't kill me.

A/N3: **YankeePeg** do you mind if I use your idea, about Laura, from your review because it is fantastic and I am kicking myself for not thinking of it. :)

* * *

><p><span>Chapter 6<span>

"So… what did you say?"

Kate was sitting on a wooden stool in the kitchen with her head in her hands, staring diligently at the countertop as Eustice stared at her in anticipation.

"He practically told you that he was in love with you, you must have said something!" The other woman continued when Kate failed to acknowledge her first question. Kate had just finished telling her what had happened the night before.

"Yes, I said something," Kate finally mumbled in reply, lifting her head to look up at Eustice, her arms now crossed, resting on the counter. "I told him that I was tired and had to go to bed."

The disbelieving death glare she received in response was almost strong enough to have even the mighty Sheriff Kate Beckett gulping. Almost. Instead she stared back in kind.

"You what?"

Kate sighed as she deflated again. "I ran. Okay? Are you happy? I put my little tail in between my legs and ran for my life. Honestly, I'm not even sure if he heard my excuse or not. All I remember is staring up at him, then turning, and running up the stairs."

Eustice set down the knife she had been clutching in her fist with a thump on the wooden counter and let out a heavy sigh. Kate couldn't help but think that her life had just been spared with the relinquishment of the object.

"Let me get this clear. The man that you travel for a month across the country to see told you that he wanted you and that he had made a mistake by getting engaged to Gina and instead of flinging yourself into his arms and kissing him with all of your might you said you were tired and ran away. Did I hear this correctly?"

"I didn't just come here to see him…" Kate began to rationalize only to be silenced, once again, by Eustice's glare. "Yes, okay. Fine, that is what happened, but that's not everything."

"Oh, please tell me you changed your mind and snuck into his bed in the middle of the night," Eustice begged as she leaned over the counter in anticipation.

"Eustice! No, I did no such thing." Kate huffed in response before leaning forward to rest her head on her arms, still crossed on the countertop.

"He didn't tell me he was in love with me. He didn't tell me he made a mistake. He said he _might_ have made a mistake. What does that even mean? He _might _have made a mistake? What does he want to do— try me on and see if I fit? I can't do that Eustice. He didn't say he was calling off his engagement. He wasn't asking me to move to New York or saying that he would come back to Colorado with me. He has been avoiding me for days, planning his wedding to Gina and out of the blue all he said was that he might have made a mistake. He wasn't even sure what he wanted yet, how can I be?

"No, Eustice. I am not going to play this game with him. I am going to stay through the week and be here for Alexis. Then I am going to go back to Colorado and move on with my life and let him move on with his. Gina is better for him than I ever would be anyways; they are a better match."

Eustice picked up the knife and began to chop once more, with a little more force than necessary as she diced the vegetables for dinner. She aimed a pursed look at Kate, which the other woman failed to see as she was now studying the wooden surface with great interest tracing the patterns in the grain with a single finger, head propped on her other hand.

"What about Gina?" Eustice continued, her voice softer but the frustration still evident, after a moment. "What about what I told you about her?"

Kate sighed again, lifting her head to look at the cook, a small sad smile crossing her face. "What am I supposed to do Eustice? Go up to him and say 'by the way your fiancé is using you for money and hates your daughter. No, she didn't tell me this I heard it through the rumor mill.' No offense, Eustice, but where did you hear it from, from Gina herself or from a whole line of your friends? No, I can't go to him with that unless I know for a fact that it is true. Beyond that, it is none of my business. Rick wouldn't have asked her to marry him unless he thought it was a good idea. He's a smart man, and he would never let anything happen to Alexis.

No, I'm finished, Eustice. This isn't my fight anymore, I know when to surrender."

Kate slid off of the stool and made her way towards the stairs, her head hung, hat flopping against her back as her boots clomped up the steps.

"Kate!" The cook called after her.

Kate paused for a moment her head cocked back towards the woman who finally used her first name.

"He's a fool you know," Eustice called up after her. "You deserve so much more than him."

Kate shook her head slowly. "No, Eustice. I'm the fool. For a moment, I actually thought I deserved the chance to be happy, but you know what? People who have done some of the things that I have done don't deserve that. This is the way things are supposed to be."

Kate turned back to the stairs; her shoulders uncharacteristically slumped as she made her way back up to the second floor, defeated. She was tired. No, she was exhausted with all of this. It was too much, traveling all the way here only to have her heart ripped out, stomped on, returned to her chest and sewn back together jagged. She couldn't allow this to continue. She had allowed the wall to slip slightly and she had paid the price. No. It was time to go home; to go back to where it was safe.

* * *

><p>"Hello, Kate. We missed you at breakfast this morning."<p>

Kate looked up this time to see Alexis sit down on the step next her to, her knees drawn up under her casual, floral print dress.

"Good morning, Alexis. How are you doing?" Kate squinted at the girl in the morning light.

"I'm fine. Father is mad, though. He hasn't said a single word to me since last night." Alexis paused, running her fingers over the wooden stairs before looking back up at Kate and continuing softly. "Are you angry with me?"

Kate let out a sigh and let her gaze fall down to the cigarette she was playing with in her fingers. Was she mad? Could she be mad at the girl for standing up for what she thought was right? "No, sweetie, I'm not mad at you. In fact, I think you standing up for what you believe in is an amazing thing. You're a strong woman, don't ever forget that and don't let anyone ever tell you otherwise okay? I only wish I were half as brave as you are."

Alexis looked up startled at the words, at the strongest person she knew, only to see tears falling down the older woman's face.

"Kate? What's wrong?"

Kate felt herself break slightly the events of the past few hours, days, weeks, months threatening to overtake her finally as her throat closed up and her breath fought to make it past the lump growing there. No, she wasn't going to do this here. She could wait a couple more days until she was safely on the train back to Colorado, to home. Her treacherous thoughts moved back to the Russian doll snuggly nestled in her bag, safe from harm. All of smaller dolls locked safely inside, the layers completely hidden from someone who did not know where to look for them. She could do that. She could lock away her layers again; keep her heart safe from the dangerous elements of the world. She had been on her own for long enough now. She could continue on by herself, keeping the rest of the world, keeping Rick and Alexis safe from the dangers that her heart brought along with it. But, oh, how she didn't want to.

Kate sniffled slightly as she wiped frantically at the traitorous tears. "Nothing, Alexis. I'm fine. Just fine. I promise. You just never change, you hear me? Never change."

"What's going on, Kate. You're not leaving are you?" Alexis's voice was small. "Is it because of me, because of last night? Did Father blame you, because I told him. I promise, I will explain it again. None of this was your fault. You saved me!"

Kate brushed over her cheeks one last time as she took in a calming breath. "No, sweetie, this isn't because of you, but yes I am leaving. I'll stay through your party but then I have to go. It's time for me to go home."

Kate stopped to pull Alexis towards her, placing a strong kiss on the girl's forehead as she pulled herself together, locked everything back up inside. "Come on. Let's go for a walk."

Alexis nodded silently, still watching Kate curiously. The girl took a breath steeling herself up like the woman next to her. "There is a beautiful flower market a few blocks down, in the square. I think you would like it."

Kate nodded back at the girl, forcing her mouth up into a smile. "Sounds perfect."

The two made it half way down the block when Kate felt someone approaching quickly behind them and instinctively reached for her revolver.

"Whoa, don't shoot!"

Castle's voice rung out as Kate whipped around, pointing the gun straight at his face.

"Castle? What are you doing here?" Kate exclaimed in exasperation as she took in the sight of her current emotional problems now standing in front of her with his arms raised in surrender.

"I, um, I wanted to talk to you." Castle replied hesitantly as Kate holstered her weapon and he took that as a sign that he could put down his arms.

Just as Kate was about to reply, asking him what he had to say, Castle yelped again and she turned to see Alexis glaring at her father.

Castle rubbed his arm, where his daughter had slapped him, gingerly as he looked at the angry red head. "What was that for?"

"Kate's leaving. What did you do?"

Castle looked over at the sheriff who was now staring between them, wide eyed, mute.

"You're leaving?" He whispered, the disappointment in his voice palpable.

Kate nodded silently as a look of hurt flashed across Castle's face. Somehow, he just seemed to know that she was leaving because of him. She could see it in that look of upset and understanding lingering in his eyes; longer than it should of if it was really Gina he loved and not her. Kate shook off the thought. No, she wouldn't allow herself to doubt her decision.

Castle turned to look at his daughter. "I can tell that you two had plans, but would you mind if I stole Kate for a little while? I would like to talk to her."

Castle's eyes flitted up to meet hers in question and Kate nodded, reluctantly, her jaw clenched tight as Alexis replied in affirmation.

"I told Laura I would go over and see her today anyway," Alexis explained as she turned to head down the street, leaving the two adults standing awkwardly in the road, carriages, pedestrians and horses passing by.

Laura had woken up soon after they had gotten her back to the house. She had hurried out into the night before she could even walk properly, frantically rambling about sneaking back home before her mother found out. For a girl so involved with the women's rights movement, she was definitely afraid of her mother.

* * *

><p>"What do you want, Castle?"<p>

Kate's voice was strong, but Castle could have sworn he heard a slight tint of quiet reservation, defeat, in her tone as he turned his head to look at her profile, watching her as she squinted up into the sun. He continued to watch as she shifted her gaze to the scenes around her: children playing in the street, men talking on the corner- their mustaches twitching as they spoke, bellies jiggling as they laughed. Women cast them curious glances as they walked down the road but she didn't seem to notice.

They had been walking for blocks in silence, the city air getting thicker by the minute: the stench of garbage and sewage dancing with the enticing scents of baking bread and stewing meals wafting up to their noses.

They passed into the flower market and Kate had drifted off, wandering through the aisles of fresh picked flowers, her eyes drifting closed as she wandered. Castle couldn't help the soft smile that crossed his lips as he watched her, only letting it fall as she turned to him with a pointed stare, seemingly snapping out of her musings and wondering why he still hadn't answered her.

"I, uh, I wanted to apologize," he began.

Her arms came up to cross over her chest; her eyebrow rising as he spoke. They were stopped in the middle of the square, people dodging them as they strolled through the stalls, picking various stems along the way.

"For what I said last night. I was out of line and I had no right to put you in that position. Please, don't feel like you have to leave because of me, because I can't control my tongue when I am sleep deprived. Alexis loves having you here, my mother is quite taken as well and Rebecca is finally starting to come around. You couldn't leave right when you are on the cusp of getting a smile out of the woman, could you?"

"Castle…" Kate started, bringing her hand up to cover her mouth. He studied her for a moment, trying to decide if she was hiding a smile or wince or just lost in thought.

Suddenly her hand shot out, hitting him square in the shoulder.

"What was that for?" Castle yelped as he brought his arm up to rub his now tender shoulder. "I was apologizing."

"Yeah, well, you deserved it," Kate bit back, her jaw clenching slightly as her fingers flexed and Castle rubbed his shoulder. "You're _engaged _Rick. That means that you asked a woman to marry you— a woman who is not me. So, that gives you no right to be propositioning me for whatever reason. You want to tell me that you made a mistake- fine- tell me, but you damn well better have figured out exactly what you wanted first and called off your engagement, because you walking around wondering 'what if' is not fair to any of us."

With that, Kate turned and walked a few paces forward, Castle shaking his head, stunned, before he turned to hurry after her. He was about to rebuff her argument— to tell her that she was wrong, to come up with a argument of his own about her turning him away on that platform— when a small boy wandered up to her instead. His face was caked in dirt and mud, his rags of clothing hanging limply off of his gaunt body. Castle had seen him here before— a child, no more than six or seven— wandering around, begging for money. He had always turned him away, ignored him, told himself it was the boy's parents or the orphanage's job to feed him. The child's bare feet scrunched in the thin layer of snow, the motion working warm blood into his icy blue toes.

He was about to go up to him, tell him to scram when Kate knelt down next to him, talking to him softly as she picked a flake of mud off of his sunken cheek. He watched as she dug into her bag and produced an apple- a rare commodity in New York in the winter time- and held it out to the boy; the child's face lighting up in return. The boy was about to turn away again when Kate called him back, still bent down to look at him eye to eye. A soft smile played on her lips and the boy returned it ten fold. Digging through her bag once again she pulled out a blue shirt— one of her favorites that Castle had seen her wear multiple times— and wrapped it around the child's shoulders, tugging it over his head. It fell to the child's knees, giving him an extra layer of warmth against the harsh February wind.

Castle stood, frozen in his spot, as he watched the boy scamper off to eat his treat far away from the prying eyes and fingers of the other street children. Kate rose back to her feet, arms clasped around her middle, looking after the boy as well. She turned her attention back to him after a moment, her eyes trailing behind as her head turned. She caught him watching her; her eyebrow rising in question. He could hear the exasperated 'What Castle?' before it even passed her lips.

He shook his head in response to the silent question and any excuses he had had a moment ago died on his lips. He had no excuse, she deserved better than him, better than his 'what ifs' and half hearted musings. No, if he truly had made a mistake in asking Gina to marry him, if he loved Kate- really loved her- he had to figure it out first. That was what she deserved. She deserved more.

* * *

><p>Kate raised her head to look in the mirror and her breath caught in her throat. She looked beautiful. She had had trepidation about the dress and the party after the unmitigated disaster that had been the yellow puff, but now, looking at her reflection in the mirror, she couldn't help but smile. She never would have considered pink to be her color, but the deep rose of the dress combined with the black lace made for a lovely picture. She took in a deep breath and smiled again. She had talked the seamstress into allowing for a little more space in the bodice, so her corset was not nearly as tight as it had been the week before. Her waist may not be tiny tonight, but it was a small, and perfectly reasonable, price to pay for not fainting.<p>

Rebecca had been at her hair for hours, even making her sleep with it wrapped up in rags the night before to give it a nice curl. It spiraled down her back in corkscrews, bouncing down to just above her waistline with a mass of curls, bobbing up in multiple layers, pinned perfectly to cover her head and back. Rebecca had woven it together with expert precision, placing tiny flowers and pins in it as well.

Kate turned to peer over her shoulder, looking up and down the back of her dress, the bustle swishing slightly as she twirled around like a five year-old on her way to her first tea party. She bit her lip as a giggled threatened to escape. No, this was not her usual life or even the life that she wanted, but sometimes, it was nice to get away from the usual. It was nice to play dress up.

She could hear the party getting underway downstairs and peaked out the door in time to see Alexis walk steadily down the stairs her smile at Ashley as he came to meet her almost visible to Kate as she stared at the now 16 year-old young woman's back. The room applauded at her entrance. Kate grinned again as she thought how happy the girl had been as she had sat at the vanity earlier in the day, Rebecca admonishing her to stay still as she coiled her hair in a series of twists, twirls and braids. If Kate thought she looked good in her dress, it was no comparison to how stunning Alexis looked.

Kate slipped through the doorway; the heels of her newly acquired ankle boots clacking softly on the hall floor as she made her way to the back stairs. There was no way she was going to go down the front stairs, she may have more confidence this time around but it was not her place to bore in on Alexis's thunder. It was the girl's day.

She gave Eustice a quick nod and a smile as she made her way through the kitchen, the cook stopping to stare at her as she made her way across the room to the adjacent door.

"You look beautiful," Eustice whispered softly and Kate felt a slight pink tinge her cheeks, matching her dress perfectly.

"Thank you, Eustice," she replied shyly, her head bowed slightly.

"Are you sure you won't stay longer?" The cook asked suddenly, her hands still paused from her former activity.

Kate bit her lip as she pondered the question. Rick and Alexis had taken it upon themselves the last few days to try and bribe her to stay. Their latest attempt involved opera tickets and Kate was sorely tempted. She had never seen an opera and apparently it was a 'must do' event in New York.

"We'll see." Was Kate's only reply as she turned back to the door with a hesitant smile and Eustice beamed in return.

Kate pushed open the door slightly and looked out. She could see Alexis, Ashley and Ashley's parents in the distance. She swiveled her head and caught sight of Gina speaking politely to Amanda Stevenson. Kate grimaced slightly before pulling herself back together. She could handle a couple of socialites. In fact, Gina had been almost civil the last couple of days, and Kate was starting to get worried about it. She didn't see Rick anywhere. The man had been downright repentant and Kate was on the cusp of forgiving him if only to stop his incessant groveling. She fidgeted slightly but calmed as she caught eyes with Martha and the older woman gave her a smile, making her way closer to Kate, champagne glass clutched firmly in her hand.

Kate pushed open the door and with a confidence she didn't quite feel in her soul, she stepped into the room, almost running into a man's back in the process. She mumbled an apology, stopping suddenly, her eyes growing wide, as the man turned to look her straight on.

Any comment, thought, or feeling of confidence flew from her with a speed she had not thought possible as she looked up at the face staring down at her. She stuttered slightly as her corset tightened around her and the lightheaded feeling she dreaded bubbled up in her chest, squeezing her lungs, strangling her tongue.

She swallowed tightly, her gulp audible to all standing around her as she took in a deep breath and willed herself not to faint.

"Josh, hi."


	7. Chapter 7

City Slickers 

A/N1: What can I say, I've always been really good at procrastinating homework...

A/N2: Thank you to YankeePeg for the idea of who Laura's mother should be. Seriously, rockstar idea. I love it! :)

Now, hold on to your cowboy hats people, on with chapter 7.

* * *

><p><span>Chapter 7<span>

"Kate."

The wide eyed look on her ex-husband's face spoke volumes as Kate stared up at him, standing awkwardly in the dining room as he stared back at her, Annabelle wrapped around his arm. He didn't know that she was going to be there any more than she had known about him.

"I, um, I hear congratulations are in order, your wedding," Kate visibly winced as the words stuttered from her mouth, making their way past her obstacles of throat, larynx, tongue and lips. Dry lips; parched. She needed water.

She needed whiskey.

"Yes. Thank you," Josh looked around hesitantly as Annabelle gave her a shy smile.

Kate, honestly, had nothing against the woman. She was kind, if slightly stuck up, and she could handle herself in a tight situation, as shown by the raid on the army camp. Under other circumstances, they probably could have been friends. So, now, at the very least they could be civil. Hell, she had even found it in herself to forgive Josh for, well, everything. She had to, for her own state of mind. However, that did not mean that she ever wanted to see the man again, especially completely unprepared in the middle of a party surrounded by New York high society.

Kate considered stuttering out another phrase, hopefully less fragmented than her last when she caught sight of Castle across the room.

"Excuse me," she mumbled out hurriedly as she brushed past the couple and over to Rick, her arm swinging up to pluck a champagne flute off of a passing tray as she stalked across the room.

"What is he doing here?" She hissed as she caught Castle's arm, tugging him fluidly into a semi-secluded corner, tipping the bubbly liquid into her mouth as she waited for his answer.

"Who?" Castle asked, startled, bending to peer around her at the room.

Kate plucked another flute off of the tray a white-gloved server was holding as he stood idly in a corner. Castle grabbed it out of her hand, bringing it to his own lips as she opened her mouth in protest.

"I was going to drink that," she huffed.

"I know, that's why I took it," Castle replied in kind, placing the drained glass back on the tray. "You told me you stopped drinking."

"I did, but you know desperate times call for desperate measures and it's not like I am a lush."

Kate crossed her arms over her chest, slouching as best she could in the corset, a perfect juxtaposition to her finely quaffed appearance.

"No, you just stopped drinking so you wouldn't become one."

Kate huffed again and Castle peered back around her.

"Whom are you talking about anyway? Who's here?"

Kate's jaw dropped slightly as she took in the confusion painted over his face. "You mean you don't know? It's your daughter's party, how could you not know?"

Castle shrugged, his face tinged with embarrassment. "I've been busy with the paper and the novel. Gina has done most of the planning for this. So, tell me, who am I supposed to be seeing?"

"Josh, Castle. Josh and Annabelle are here. I literally ran into them when I came down stairs."

Castle simply stared at her for a moment, blinking, as her words sank in. "What?"

Kate slit her eyes up at him, lips pursed and he visibly gulped. She was not going to say it twice.

"Kate, I promise, I had no idea. Gina must have invited them before you arrived. Her parents are friends of Annabelle's family."

The bewildered face paired with the uncharacteristic naivety was almost enough to make Kate burst into laughter. Of course, Gina had invited them before she knew about Kate's connection to them and then just happened to forget to mention it every single day for the past week. Right. Of course she had.

Kate couldn't help but roll her eyes as she snatched another flute of champagne, gulping it down. She batted Castle's hands away as he tried, in vain, to confiscate the alcohol.

"Of course she did," she muttered quietly but still loud enough for him to hear.

"What is that supposed to mean?"

Kate deflated, shoving the flute into his hand as she raised her own to cover her eyes. Not here. It wasn't the time or the place for this. She would confront Gina about it later. Here, now, she would be civil, like the good little society girl she was pretending to be.

"Nothing, Castle. It isn't supposed to mean anything."

Kate glanced around as she turned back to face the party, catching a glimpse of Amanda Stevenson smirking over at her with a little finger wave. Of course, pretending to be a socialite didn't mean that she couldn't also be a bitch.

Castle sighed behind her and she turned back around to face him.

"You look beautiful, you know. If that man is doing anything other than kicking himself right now for letting you go then he is a fool."

She stared up at him, her reply dying on her lips as it fought to be said. _What about you Rick? Are you kicking yourself right now?_

"You look good, too."

She took in his long tailed tuxedo with the flower pinned to his lapel and pressed white shirt. His hair was perfectly combed. While he looked completely dashing, she had to admit that she preferred it a little bit messy, like it had been in Colorado. He had let his mustache grow back and she missed his clean-shaven face. It made him look younger, freer than he did right now: like he was trapped in a gilded cage. Like they all were.

She stared up at him for a long moment, forced to raise her chin with their close proximity crowded in the far corner of the room. He had been so much happier in Colorado. She could see it in his eyes; that longing for freedom, for adventure. The freedom to live and to write. She could give that to him. Gina couldn't.

The revelation was enough to physically knock her off balance and she wobbled slightly. Her mind barely registered Castle making a joking comment about her getting woozy off of a couple glasses of champagne and she sucked in a deep breath as she reached out to steady herself with his arm. Both of them stiffened with the contact, the first physical contact they had had in a week. It was a shock, a jolt she felt through her entire body and, looking into his eyes, she could tell that he felt it too. She had to tell him. She wanted the "what if". She wanted him to come back to Colorado with her and to have the freedom to write, to wander through the untarnished land— to draw inspiration from the mountains, the animals, from her. She wanted him with her. Forever.

"Rick…I…"

"There you are!"

Kate's eyes fluttered shut as Gina's voice sounded behind her, all confidence draining quickly from her with an audible gush of air. She turned to face the other woman with a tight-lipped smile only to see Amanda Stevenson trailing along behind her. Kate caught sight of a brown head bobbing in the background and was shocked to see Laura's freckled face flit into sight. She was about to greet the girl when Laura's eyes flickered with panic and she gave a hurried shake of her head. Kate felt herself fall silent in puzzlement.

"Richard, dear, you of course remember Mrs. Stevenson and her daughter Laura."

Oh, that explained it. _Laura was Amanda's daughter?_ Kate had to bite back a laugh. That was almost too good. No wonder the girl had fled home the other night.

"Ms. Beckett," Amanda's voice was so sweet Kate could almost feel her ears begin to bleed honey. She winced as she imagined the feeling of the cool sticky liquid running down her neck. She had to fight from visibly flinching. "It is a pleasure to see you again. That is a beautiful dress by the way. Store bought, I presume. I doubt they had time to actually make you one in proper fashion."

Kate smiled tightly at the backward compliment. Oh, the woman good. She heard Rick suck in a breath behind her and Laura's eyes widened from her position behind her mother.

"Yes, well, Mrs. Stevenson, I was told it was a shop that you recommend so I figured it would be nice. Someone with as fine of taste as you have would never for settle than anything less than the best, am I correct?"

Kate's mouth formed a kind smile as she turned the backhanded compliment back around on the other woman. She winked at Laura as the girl's wide eyed look broke into a full grin and she heard Castle snort in amusement behind her.

Two could easily play this game.

Amanda gave her a forced smile in return before hurrying to excuse herself and flounce back across the room, Laura scurrying along behind her. The girl's dress was a beautiful emerald green and her hair was done up just like all the other women. However, Kate had to admit that Laura looked as awkward in the setting, with her plain freckled face and sad hazel eyes, as Kate felt. The girl had been so full of life at the suffragette meeting, like she had found her place, and it was not at society parties. Kate understood that feeling. She shook her head as she tore her attention away from the Stevenson women and back to Gina who was now standing in front of them.

"Did you not think it important to tell me or Kate?"

It took her a moment to catch up with the conversation now going on as they continued to huddle in the corner.

"Gina, this is a very uncomfortable situation."

"I'm sorry, Richard. They must have already been on the list of invites. My parents did help me compile it. I honestly completely forgot until tonight. I was actually coming over to talk to you two about it," Gina soothed and Kate forced herself not to roll her eyes once again.

"Now," Gina continued. "Why don't you two get out of the corner and mingle. People will get the wrong idea if you stay together over here. People are already starting to talk, Richard."

This time Kate did roll her eyes, but forced a smile on her face as she nodded back to Castle, who was looking at her with that expression, that silent question of if she was truly all right. She nodded back in reply as Gina looked between them once again.

"Oh, by the way, Richard. Don't forget to offer them congratulations on the baby," Gina finished.

Kate stopped in her tracks and her eyes slid shut. Baby.

This night could not get any worse.

"Gina!" She heard Castle hiss behind her.

"It's okay, Castle," Kate replied, letting her sheriff persona fall back into place. Steel. She could do this. She had done this before. She just had to make herself strong.

She made her way steadily through the swirling and twirling sea of colorful dresses and tuxedos. Servers wound through the crowded space with precision, trays never tilting or spilling. It was like a dance. Music from the string quartet floated in from one of the corners and Kate peered around the room, taking in all of the sights around her. It was beautiful and overwhelming at the same time: people chattering, laughing, gesturing, smiling. She paused against a wall as she caught Alexis in the distance, her arm wound delicately through Ashley's. As awkward as she felt, and Laura had looked, in the setting, Alexis looked perfectly at home. The sixteen year-old worked the room with the precision of a seasoned veteran. Her head was held high in confidence, orange curls floating carefully around her face, her eyes glowing bright blue against the rich sapphire of her dress. Kate watched her with a soft smile and her heart ached for the daughter she had adopted, the child she had lost and the baby Josh was having with new wife.

Her mind drifted Sarah, briefly imagining what the girl would look like now: would she be a heartbreaker, would she have Kate's green eyes or Josh's brown ones? Would she still have the red hair or would it have turned dark? Would she be strong and independent? Would she be able to charm a room like Alexis or would she be content to stay in the background like Laura? Would she love books like Kate? Would she write like Castle?

Kate started slightly, jerking herself out of her thoughts. Where had that thought come from?

"Kate!"

Kate looked up to see Alexis walking towards her, Ashley happily wandering along at her side. She shook her head slightly to push back down any lingering thoughts of her lost daughter and focused on the beautiful girl, full of life, in front of her.

"Alexis, you look just gorgeous. Ashley, you are completely dashing as well."

Alexis beamed at her and Ashley puffed out his chest slightly in pride. They were so young, so in love. It was adorable.

"So, how are you liking your party? Everything is beautiful. Are you excited?" Kate turned her attention fully to the young couple in front of her, forcing herself to feel excited and to push down her growing anxiety and lingering depression. She didn't need alcohol. She didn't need to wallow in the loss of her daughter. She needed to focus on here, now, the life she had in front of her.

"It is simply gorgeous!" Alexis gushed in reply, her eyes sparkling. "Gina did almost all of it. I was nervous at first because I didn't think she liked me much, but look at it!"

Kate smiled softly at the girl's excitement. Yes, it had turned out beautifully and Alexis was happy. That was all that mattered.

"I am so glad you could be here," Alexis continued. "I'm going to miss you."

Kate sighed as she looked at the girl's pleading eyes. "Well, maybe I could stay for a few more days."

Alexis beamed up at her and suddenly the girl's arms were wrapped around her neck, giving her an awkward but strong hug around the mass of their dresses.

"Now, go," Kate continued as Alexis stepped back and once again took Ashley's arm. "Enjoy your party."

Kate watched as the couple, once again, wandered off through the room stopping every few feet to talk to a new group of people. Her eyes roamed around the room, spotting a familiar face every few feet. She caught sight of Castle talking to a group of men across the parlor and like a magnetic force his eyes came over to meet hers, smiling at her through the crowd. She nodded in reply a small smile dancing on her lips, as well. She felt a body settle in next to her and she didn't even have to turn her head to know whom it was.

"Well played," Kate started as her eyes squinted slightly, still looking out through the crowd, arms crossed over her middle again. Defensive pose.

"I don't know to what you are referring," Gina replied smoothly.

Kate snorted in amusement. The other woman wasn't going to give her anything. Fine.

She continued on, still not turning from the crowd. "We both know that you didn't send that invitation to Josh until I was already here. There was a RSVP list on the table a few days ago and his name was not on it. What did you do, send them a last minute telegram? Did you have your parents do it?"

When Gina failed to reply this time, Kate turned to face her, effectively blocking the shorter woman from the crowd.

"I've heard the rumors Gina. That your family has lost everything, that you are marrying Castle for money, that you want to ship Alexis off to boarding school." Her voice was low, menacing: only loud enough for Gina to hear. "I pray that they are just that, Gina, rumors. I truly do hope that you love him and her and that you want to marry him for the right reasons. I pray the same thing for him."

It was Gina's turn to snort. "Admit it. You came here for him, to tell him that you loved him. No one leaves their life and travels for months across the country in the winter just to see a friend. You want him all to yourself."

Kate sighed. "You're right. I came here to tell him that, but you know what I learned once I arrived here? I missed my chance. I had it and I wasted it. I am not going to try to break you up to have him all to myself. I am not petty like that, but I will warn you."

Kate took a step closer to the other woman and Gina instinctively took a step back, her light blue dress scrunching against the wall behind her. "Richard Castle is one of my best friends and I love Alexis like a daughter. If you hurt either of them, in any way, I will find you and I will make you pay. Trust me, I am very good at it. So, ask yourself this Ms. Cowell: why are you really marrying Richard Castle, and is it truly worth it?"

Gina simply stared up at her as Kate took a step back, excusing herself to rejoin the party. She heard the blonde let out a shaken breath and let a small smile slip, head held high as she swept across the room. She really did take a perverse pleasure in making people squirm.

Kate made her way back to stand next to Castle, curtsying politely as he introduced her to his writer friends. One took her hand and kissed the back of her palm gently and she couldn't help but smile in reply. They were charming. She glanced over her shoulder to see Gina still in the same place, against the wall, staring over at them. She turned her attention back to the men in front of her. One of them was asking her about some of her adventures out west, wondering if everything in Castle's novel was true. She could feel Rick's hand hovering just off her back, a good inch or two away from her dress.

A waiter approached and she reached out, almost instinctively, to grab a glass, only to find a folded piece of paper in the middle of the platter instead.

"I'm sorry for the interruption Mr. Castle," the server started. "But there is an pressing telegram for Ms. Beckett. I was told it was of the upmost importance."

Kate's brow furrowed as Castle nodded to the server and she made her fingers grasp the piece of paper. The crease in her brow deepened as her eyes worked across the page, her brain struggling to process the words. She read it twice, three times before it finally clicked and she let out a gasp, dropping the paper back onto the tray before hurrying towards the stairs. All sense of proper etiquette fled from her mind as she ran up the steps her boots clomping as she went.

As soon as she turned the corner, out of sight, her hands were at her hair, working out the pins. She called for Rebecca, ordering the older woman to unstring her dress as she turned her back to the woman holding her hair out of the way. The dress fell to the floor in a pile as she struggle out of the layers of undergarments, the corset tightening around her as she yanked frantically at the strings, struggling for breath. A tear spilled down her cheek and as if through a tunnel she could hear Rebecca asking her what was wrong. She didn't answer as she yanked a shirt over her head and stepped into a pair of pants, shoving everything else into her bag haphazardly.

She paused suddenly, the world still blurring around her as she stared down at the Matryoshka clutched in hand. Slowly she brought her other, shaking, hand up and twisted apart the wooden doll, placing the largest wooden halves on the bed before continuing until only the smallest one remained in her hand.

Gently, she placed the small wooden figure on the wooden table next to her before reassembling the remaining pieces, placing the doll back into her bag. She tugged on the drawstrings, closing the bag before throwing it over her shoulder. Quickly, she made her way back out into the hall and down the back stairs, breezing through the kitchen without so much as a nod to Eustice before she was out the back door and running down the street towards the train station. The frigid February air stinging her skin, her hat and coat still hanging on the hook in the entry by the front door to the townhouse.

* * *

><p>Castle watched, bewildered as Kate raced up the stairs. He could feel everyone around him staring as well but he wasn't worried about them, he was worried about her. The server turned to walk away and Castle reached out to snatch the telegram before he could take a second step.<p>

He could feel Alexis, Gina and his mother approaching him as he read.

_Blizzard hit. Stop. Father severely injured. Stop. Town in ruins. Stop. Hurry home. Stop. _

Castle read the telegram aloud, shakily and he heard an audible gasp from his mother. Ignoring the questions stated around him, Castle bolted up the stairs and burst into Kate's room only to find her gone and the smallest nesting doll resting on the table.

He trudged back down the stairs the doll clutched in hand. His shoulders were slouched as he raised a hand to rub his brow, his mother and fiancé waiting for him at the bottom of the stairs. He shrugged his shoulders as he took the last couple of steps down to meet them.

"She's gone."

Martha sighed and placed a hand on her son's shoulder and Gina stood by, quietly. His fingers played with the small doll still clutched at his side, out of sight of questioning eyes. He was about to say something about finding Alexis when Ashley hurried up to him followed quickly by Amanda Stevenson.

"Alexis is gone," Ashley spluttered as he approached.

"What do you mean gone? She was just next to me," Castle questioned back.

"One of the servers said she and Laura slipped out the front door with no word when you went up stairs," Amanda fumed. "Where did they go?"

Castle shook his head in confusion. He didn't know where they girls could have taken off to.

His head shot up as his mouth snapped closed and his eyes widened. They wouldn't… Oh, no, yes they would…

The others watched as Castle's eyes slid closed.

"I think I know where they went…" he started. "And you are not going to like it."

* * *

><p>Kate stared out the window as the train chugged slowly away from the station. She would send a letter once she got back to Colorado; explain what was going on, apologize to Alexis. She chewed on her bottom lip, her thumbnail sliding up to take its place.<p>

She felt someone slip into the seat across from her and slowly dragged her mind from her musings, turning her head towards the flashes of blue and green that her eyes had partially processed.

Her eyes focused on the two people sitting across from her and her brain raced to catch up as she took in the four wide eyes and two hesitant smiles. _They didn't._

"Hi, Kate. Please don't be mad."

Kate closed her eyes as Alexis's voice floated to her ears and she opened them back up to look once again at Alexis and Laura sitting across from her still in their lacy formal dresses from the party. Hair twisted up and curling down. She brought a hand up to run through her own hair and let out a puff of air as she turned back to gaze out the window.

_They were going to be the death of her. _

A small laugh left her lips as she glanced back at them and shook her head.

Sweet, foolish, brave, naïve, smart girls.


	8. Chapter 8

City Slickers 

A/N: So, I apologize for the delay. I got so caught up in my other stories that this one kind of fell to the wayside. Not going to happen again, I promise. Don't worry, I have City Slickers all planned out and it will be worth the wait, I promise. Lots of twists and turns left to go. :)

So, without further ado, I thank you for your patience and I give you chapter 8! :)

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><p><span>Chapter 8<span>

Kate stared at the girls sitting across from her, winter cloaks covering their frilly dresses, hands folded in their laps as they stared back at her. They were the perfect picture of civilized society, except for the fear flickering in their eyes as they both tried not to look away.

"You do know that you are getting off of the train at the next stop and going home, right?" Kate questioned.

She watched as all four eyes grew big.

"We're not going back Kate," Alexis stated, a little too strongly as she sat forwards and took in a quick gasp of air to fight the dizziness the sudden movement caused. "We came here to help you."

"Alexis," Kate sighed as she brought a hand up to rub her brow and slouched down in her chair a couple more inches. It was starting to get cold and she shivered slightly. She had forgotten her coat and that wasn't going to bode well. She would have to barter for a new one. "It is too dangerous out there. You could get hurt or worse. Trust me, you don't want to be out west in the middle of a snow storm."

Alexis sighed and pulled out something from beside her, holding it out to Kate. "I brought you your coat."

Kate looked up, startled, and reached for the proffered piece of clothing. Pulling it into her lap with a sigh, she glanced over at Laura. The girl was staring out the window, watching the edge of the city disappear over the horizon. Her chin quivered slightly.

"Laura?" Kate questioned quietly, leaning forward to reach for the girl's hand, only to lean back when the girl turned suddenly to look at her with tears in her eyes.

"I'm not going back Sheriff Beckett. You want me off the train, then that's fine, but I will just jump a train to somewhere else. Alone. They want me to get married to a man twice my age and he's horrible. I hate him. I am not going back." Laura sobbed.

Kate reached out again to take the girl's hand and slid over to the other bench so she was sitting between Alexis and Laura, nestles in between the layers of petticoats so she could pull the crying girl into her side, hugging her.

"Okay," she relented. "I won't make you go back, but I am sending word back at the next stop so everyone knows you two are all right."

She sighed. She would rather have the girls in Colorado with her than, God knows where, alone.

They sat there, the motion of the train rocking them as it puffed down the rail, taking them farther and farther away from the city. Laura's tears continued to soak through the thin cotton of Kate's shirt, cooling her shoulder.

"Why don't you two go get changed? You will be much more comfortable and we will be on this thing for at least a week."

Alexis shifted uncomfortably next to her, but made no move to get up and Laura pulled away, leaning back to wipe away her tears.

"We don't have anymore clothes," Alexis started, biting her lip, waiting for the reaction.

Kate paused, only her eyes moving as they swiveled from one girl to the other, her tone dropping a few notes as she groaned out her next questions. "What do you mean? What did you girls do?"

Alexis's mouth opened and closed a couple of times.

"Well, you see," Laura chimed in. "We didn't want to chance missing the train and once we saw Mr. Castle come back down the stairs, alone and looking so dejected, we knew you were gone. So, while everyone was looking at him, I pulled a few bills out of my mother's billfold and we snuck out the front door."

Laura fell silent again and the three sat, listening to the chug of the train and the chattering of the other passengers as Kate processed the information. "So, not only did you two run away with nothing more than the clothes on your backs, but you stole from your mother to do so?"

Alexis nodded in confirmation and Kate leaned back, head resting on the back of the seat as she sent a small prayed toward Heaven. They really were going to be the death of her.

"All right," she sighed after a few more minutes of silence, letting them stew and worry, reaching for her bag. "Go put these on. We will figure out something for food and supplies later. We will need to find you coats and boots or else you two will freeze."

The girls stood slowly, both nodding, as they clutched Kate's remaining changes of clothes in their hands, making their way towards and empty cabin to change.

Kate tugged the sleeves of her coat over her arms and folded it closed over her chest, sighing as her frozen joints and muscles started to warm covered by the layers of wool and leather. She forced back her own tears as she sat staring out the window into the dark night, her breath hanging white and frozen in their air in front of her. She should never have left Colorado. She could have protected her father, she could be helping now, saving lives instead of sitting around and waiting to survive.

_But you did save lives_ a little voice told her. _You saved Alexis and Laura. The fire would have killed them._

She sighed again. Everything was such a mess.

She continued to stare out the window, sinking farther and farther into her own thoughts, spiraling out of control. Her father, Rick, Josh, Gina, Alexis, Laura, Amanda Stevenson, Eustice. Eustice. She hadn't said goodbye to her. Her friend. The cook had called after her as she ran through the kitchen and out the back door but Kate hadn't responded.

Castle. She should have kissed him back on the train platform. She should have asked him to stay. She should have been braver, less broken.

She leaned forward, her head cradled in her hands as she pressed it down into her lap. Taking in a deep breath she leaned back and shook her head. She shook away the thoughts. No, she couldn't think like that. She couldn't think in "what if" and "I should have" because if she did she would drive herself insane. She had made to many mistakes in her life to live by regrets.

She shook her head again and looked around. The girls should be back by now. Kate gathered herself up, wiping her eyes one last time and made her way down the car, swaying and grasping at the bench backs as they train jerked from side to side.

Her heart began to quicken as she found empty cabin after empty cabin. They shouldn't have gone far. Kate swallowed and took a deep breath. They had to be on the train somewhere. It wasn't like they could have gotten off. They were there somewhere.

She jumped across the junction between cars and swayed as she bumped through the door into the next cabin, the meal car. Taking in a shaking breath she looked around. She really hated doing that. She ran both of her hands through her hair and looked around, spotting a flash of red in the distance she sighed in relief and set out down the car.

Alexis was facing away from her, Laura's dark head bobbing next to her as the girl nodded about something. Kate's breath caught in her throat as she looked at the two men sitting across from them. They were both dressed in pressed suits, perfectly groomed mustaches twitching above their mouths. They were a stark contrast to the girls dressed in Kate's pants and men's shirts. One man laughed as Alexis said something and Kate could see the girl gesturing about something.

Kate's eyes narrowed and she pushed back any remaining signs of her previous breakdown as she approached the table. Steel. For these girls she had to make herself back into steel.

"Hi girls. Is everything okay?" Kate questioned as she approached the table, making sure to brush back the side of her coat so the men could see the revolver on her hip.

"Kate, hi!" Alexis looked up at her with a grin. "We were just talking with Mr. Mulligan and Mr. West, here. They are tailors. They own a dress shop in New York that I have used before. They saw us walking through with the dresses and offered to buy them off of us. We can use the money to buy coats and boots at the next stop."

Kate let out a small laugh and ran a hand through Alexis's hair. "That is great, sweetie, but we should go, leave these gentlemen to their evening."

Alexis and Laura nodded and thanked the men as they slid out of the booth and made their way back down the car towards their seats. Kate turned to give the men one last look, gratitude mixed with warning as they nodded back at her. It was an acknowledgement. Don't mess with those girls or they would have to deal with her.

She held out her palm silently and the man closest to her sighed, reaching into a pocket in his coat. He pulled out his billfold and slapped a couple more bills into her hand. She thanked him with a smug smile and turned away from the table.

No one ripped off her friends.

She watched as the girls disappeared through the door before turning to the counter to pay for some jerky and biscuits that they could eat for dinner and asking the attendant to fill her water pouch for her.

She shook her head and glanced back at the door.

They really were going to be the death of her.

Sweet, brave, smart, foolish, naïve girls.

* * *

><p>They sank into a snow the moment they stepped off the train, the ice cold chilling their bones as they attempted to walk through the knee high drift. The wind was brutal, blowing icicles into their skin, little pins and needles poking at their hands and cheeks. It was beyond freezing in Colorado Springs.<p>

By some miracle the train had only been delayed a couple of days, arriving at the station in ten days instead of seven. Kate had spent every night lying awake praying to whatever Cherokee Spirits, white men's God and ancient deities she thought would listen to a broken woman desperate to save the life of her father, protect the two young women with her and save her own soul.

They took in the sites as they trudged through the town, or at least whatever was left of it. Splinters of wood, what had been buildings lay in the streets, piled under layers of snow. Wood, brick and glass in crumbling piles. Certain building still remained. Ironically the saloon was one of them. The jail was another. The hotel stood strong in the middle of the town and Kate could see people huddled around the doors. The three pushed their way into the lobby and Kate heard her name shouted over the murmur of milling townspeople.

"Boss! You're back."

Kate turned to see her deputy, Kevin Ryan running towards her. His shirt was rumpled and covered in dirt and blood. His jaw was covered in a week's worth of stubble and the black circles under his bloodshot eyes told her everything she needed to know about how bad it was.

"Kevin," Kate replied as she pulled the man into a hug. "I would ask how bad it is, but I am pretty sure I can tell for myself."

Ryan shook his head. "It is bad. I am not denying that but it isn't anything we can't handle. Once the snow clears it will be better. Come on, let's get you settled and I will take you to see your father."

Ryan paused as he finally saw the two others and he looked back at Kate, questioningly.

"Alexis? What are they doing here?" He asked the sheriff.

Kate shrugged her shoulders. "They ran away. Come on, take me to my dad."

Ryan eyed the other two wearily but nodded and headed towards the stairs, motioning for them to follow.

"Everything was hit bad as you probably saw. The hotel, though, is completely undamaged. We turned it into housing for those who need it and a makeshift hospital. Lanie, Port and Jenny have been working here nonstop. Roy and I have been trying to keep an eye on the town. Keep the looting to a minimum, but honestly it hasn't been our main concern. The army was also hit bad, been asking for supplies. Espo went out to the reservation a few days ago with a wagon and whatever we could spare." He paused at the second floor landing and turned to face Kate. "Your father is going to be all right. I'm sorry, I should have said that sooner. It was bad for a few days, that's when we sent the telegram. About three days ago he began to turn around, get better. He is going to be up and moving in no time Katie."

Kate took in a deep breath and gave her friend a grateful smile. "Thanks Kevin."

The deputy motioned to one of the doors and Kate opened it to find her father sitting up on a bed on the other side.

"Dad?"

"Katie!" Jim Beckett coughed slightly as he held his arm out to his daughter.

Kate took a couple of quick steps until she was sitting on the bed, giving him a gentle hug.

"I am going to be just fine. Just a touch of pneumonia. They shouldn't have sent for you," Jim admonished.

Kate let out a gentle disbelieving laugh. "Just a touch of pneumonia? I swear Father."

Jim brought a hand up to cup his daughter's cheek. "I did miss you though."

Kate nodded into his palm. "I missed you, too."

Jim looked around, catching a glimpse of Alexis and Laura hovering in the doorway. "Young Miss Castle? This is a pleasant surprise."

"Hello, Mr. Beckett," Alexis greeted. "I am glad to see you are doing well. This is my friend Laura."

Jim nodded at the girls before turning back to his daughter with a raised brow. "Does this mean what I think it means?"

Kate shook her head, patting his hand, which was sandwiched between hers. "No, but it is a long story. I will tell you later, after everything is settled down. You rest now."

Kate stood from the bed and took a step back, running a hand through her hair. She missed her hat. She huffed out a breath and looked around, nodding as she processed the scene around her, beds lined up, pallets made on the floor. A baby cried down the hall and she could hear children playing in the distance. She nodded again.

"Here is what is going to happen," she began, pinning Alexis and Laura with a stare. Steel. "You two are going to stay here. Find Lanie, do whatever she asks you to do. No arguments. You help with the children, tend to the sick, cook, gather firewood. Whatever she and Deputy Ryan ask of you, you do."

She waited as the girls nodded in wide-eyed confirmation before she continued. "Alexis, do you remember how to get to the homestead?"

Alexis nodded again silently.

"Good," Kate replied. "If you need any supplies, clothes, anything you head out there, okay? Never go at night and never go alone. I am going to head out and meet up with Esposito, help him at the reservation and then head over to the army camp. See if there is anything we can do. I will have Whisper with me but if you need Bucket then feel free to take him."

Alexis continued to nod, her arms coming up to wrap around her middle as she looked around. It was worse than she had imagined, worse than the reservation months before. They had passed bodies wrapped in white sheets downstairs and there were people wailing and sobbing in the distance. The town was gone and Alexis was forcing herself not to cry as Laura stood beside her, her own brand of shock etched on her face as Kate listed off orders.

"Alexis look at me."

Alexis looked up to find Kate standing in front of her. "Everything is going to be fine. You just have to be strong and help. We've been through worse than this before. I told you before; life out here isn't easy. I wasn't lying. Now, you can do this. You hear me."

Alexis took in a deep breath and nodded, her bright blue eyes rising up to meet those of the woman she had started to think of as a big sister, mother and mentor all rolled into one. If Kate could do this, she could too.

"We can do this," Alexis confirmed and she let out a shaky smile as Kate pulled her towards her and kissed her on the forehead.

Kate clasped a hand on Laura's shoulder and the freckle-faced girl nodded also.

"We'll be fine," Laura agreed. "Go."

Kate gave them both a tight-lipped smile before making her way to the door and back down the stairs, out into the harsh winter air.

There was no place for what ifs or regrets in Colorado Springs. In the west, weakness was what would get you killed.


	9. Chapter 9

City Slickers

A/N: I have gotten this question a couple of times: if I have written/published anything that is not fan fiction and the answer is no, not yet. Hopefully one day I will get my butt in gear and write a novel but until then I am happy to be writing just for the fun of it. :)

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><p><span>Chapter 9<span>

Castle's leg jiggled as he forced himself not to fidget in his seat. His daughter had run away to Colorado on the night of her sixteenth birthday with her friend in order to follow the woman he loved back home.

Castle sighed. No, he wasn't allowed to think like that. He was marrying Gina; he didn't love Kate. Well, that wasn't true. He did love Kate. He loved her like a friend: his best friend. He wasn't in love with her.

Oh, hell, who was he kidding?

His foot jiggled as he spun the little wooden doll around in his fingers. She was telling him something with it, he was sure of that but he wasn't sure of what exactly she was saying.

It was the smallest doll from the Matryoshka, the one buried the furthest inside.

The deepest layer.

Oh, God. His palm opened slowly as he brought his other hand up to cover his mouth. Her heart. It was her heart. He shook his head slowly. No. Then she left. No goodbye. No words, just the doll.

Was she giving him her heart or was she giving his back to him?

Castle sighed and looked up. The train swayed, rocking his body back and forth, jerking the bodies sitting around him from side to side. They took up most of the car, the party with him. He had tried to talk them out of going; telling them how bad it was going to be. How the blizzard and just the overall roughness of the west would be overwhelming, almost unbearable, but they didn't listen.

He glanced around at the faces, studying their expressions.

Josh was staring out the window. Castle hadn't tried to talk him out of going. In fact he was actually happy the other man was here, even if they hadn't spoken a word to each other since Castle had punched him in the face a months before. Annabelle had stayed behind in New York under the care of Rebecca and Martha. This was no trip for a pregnant woman to be taking, especially one that was society born and raised. Josh on the other hand was a doctor and he had family in Colorado Springs; family he hadn't heard from.

Eustice was sitting a little ways down. Other passengers had cast them a disapproving look when they had seen a black woman board but Castle had chosen to ignore it, sending everyone a silent message to do the same. Eustice was there as a friend, not as a cook or a servant so she would be treated as such. She had insisted on coming when she heard to news about Kate's father and was adamant when she heard about Alexis and Laura. Castle shook his head as he looked at the woman who was currently knitting something silently in her seat. She couldn't wait to see her and Lanie together. Those two would be a force to be reckoned with.

Ashley was sitting silently across from Castle. The boy would never admit to it but Castle could tell he was scared. He had never been out of the city before, let alone out west. It was a whole new world and Castle could definitely relate to the fear of the unknown. He was afraid of what lie ahead of them for this trip: the girls, the town, Kate. What if her father was dead? What if the town was gone?

What if, what if, what if?

Castle turned his head when he heard a sniffle coming from across the aisle and had to force himself not to roll his eyes when he saw Amanda Stevenson sniffling daintily into a handkerchief, Gina consoling her with soft words and a pat on the back. Gina shot him a glare and Castle brought his head back to face forward. He had spent the most time trying to talk the two of them out of coming. Amanda had insisted because it was "her daughter out there who had been kidnapped and forced out into the wild by that beast of a woman". Castle had literally bit his tongue until it began to bleed to keep himself from saying that she had run away because her mother was an awful shrew.

That probably would not have gone over too well.

Castle caste his eyes back over to look at Gina. Both women were dressed in everyday attire for New York, which would be disastrous once they reached Colorado Springs, but it was better than what they had wanted to wear: formal traveling clothes. Hats included. Gina had insisted that she was coming to support him and Alexis. To make sure that the girl was all right, but Castle couldn't help the nagging sensation in his gut, telling him that there was something more; something he didn't know about.

He spun the little doll in his fingers once more and let out a sigh. The telegram they had received a week before had been a slight relief. It had confirmed his suspicions that Alexis and Laura had gone west with Kate, but it had little consolation for the fear of what would happen to them once they got there.

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><p>The train rolled to a stop with a final puff of smoke and a screeching sigh. They had left two days after the girls, it had taken four days longer than expected to get there. So, they had arrived three days after the first train.<p>

The snow was turning to slush as they stepped out of the limited comfort of the train and down into the ice cold damp snow that soaked through their clothes and sent spastic shivers up and down their spines. It was beyond cold. Pants, boots and skirts were already soaked through. Josh and Ashley helped Gina and Amanda walk through the deep, wet, drifts of dirty snow and Castle shook his head with a small smile as he watched Eustice trudge on ahead of them.

Castle had barely spoken for the past week, something that was not common to his personality, but then again, none of them had spoken much past pleasantries and short, jagged phrases.

He stared around the town, taking in the sites of people standing around wrecked buildings and children sniffling in the streets. They made their way towards the hotel and Castle sucked in a sharp breath. He could see past the building, a pile of while rolled sheets and blankets. He saw a small foot sticking out from the end of one. Gina gasped beside him.

"There isn't enough space to bury them all. Not yet at least," Josh stated quietly. "After the snow melts some there will be a mass funeral."

He paused as the group took a moment to take in the site of the pile of bodies all shapes and sizes. Age was no matter to a blizzard.

"We've been through worse. The influenza outbreak fourteen years ago, the one that took Kate's mom, was the worst we've seen in our lifetime. We had to burn them. There were too many," Josh stated as he took a step forward and put his hat on his head.

When the others didn't move he turned back around to them; his jaw set and his eyes dark. "You all insisted on being here. If you are going to do this you have to buck up. There is no place for weakness or hesitation out here, especially now. If you are having second thoughts go and catch the train before it leaves. Trust me, it will be better that way."

Amanda Stevenson let out a slight gasp as Josh stalked off towards the hotel, medical kit and suitcase in hand.

"Well, I never!" She gasped and Castle shot her a sideways glance. "How dare he speak to us like that? So rude."

This time Castle did roll his eyes and smirked at the thought that Kate would be snickering right beside him.

The hotel was buzzing with activity as they pushed their way inside.

"Rick!"

Castle turned when he heard the call of his name and let loose his first real smile in days. "Jim, I'm glad to see you are doing well."

Jim Beckett was about to respond when a voice interrupted them. "Mr. Beckett, you aren't supposed to be out of bed yet."

Castle startled and turned to see his daughter stalking up behind the older man, hands on hips. The white apron covering her front was smudged with traces of dirt, blood and other unidentified substances. Her hair was falling out of a messy bun and the bags under her eyes told the story of the limited sleep she had been getting over the past few days.

"Father!" Alexis exclaimed as she caught sight of the group huddled by the front doors. "Ash?"

Ashley gave a silent wave to his fiancé, the situation silently overwhelming the sheltered boy as he continued to glance around at the chaos surrounding them. Piles of belongings and people huddled in every corner of the building. A chicken clucked as it made its way through the crowds.

Castle rushed towards his daughter, sweeping her up in a tight hug as he whispered in her ear. "I am so glad to see you. Don't ever do that to me again."

"I'm sorry Daddy," Alexis whispered back. "I just couldn't leave her alone."

Castle pulled back and sighed as he brushed some red hair back behind her ear.

"Alexis I need you. Grab some clean blankets and get Mary to boil some water." Castle placed Lanie's voice immediately and gave the midwife a tight smile as she approached the group.

"Mr. Castle, I figured you would show up eventually. I would love to stay and chat but I have a woman going into labor," Lanie rushed out as she shooed Alexis off towards the kitchen. "Josh. I never thought I would say these words but I am glad to see you. Now, don't just stand there, get to work."

Lanie looked the doctor up and down and let out a humph before turning back the way she came.

"Wait," Eustice called after her and Lanie turned around with a raised eyebrow. "Which way to the kitchen?"

Lanie eyeballed the other woman for a second before gesturing with a limp wrist towards the back far corner of the building. The cook gave her a nod of a thank you before heading in the same direction Alexis had went only moments before.

Rick blinked after her and turned back to Jim who was leaning against the counter that used to be the concierge desk.

"You should be in bed," he told the older man as Jim let out a rattled cough.

Jim shook his head, "I have been in bed for weeks, what I need is to be moving around."

The older man paused to look at the remaining New Yorkers standing around him. Castle was looking around, occasionally waving to a person passing by. The other three seemed to be in a state of shock.

Jim took a step closer to Castle and lowered his voice. "Rick, why don't you take these three out to the homestead. Let everyone rest, get some food and find them a better change of clothes. Another storm is said to be coming through in a few days and it is going to get bad again. They need to be ready."

Castle took in a deep breath and nodded, glancing around one last time. "Where's Kate, anyway? I figured she would be with you."

Jim let out a shaky laugh. "The moment the girls were settled and she knew I was all right she took off to meet up with Esposito at the reservation and the army camp. They should be back any day now. They don't have enough supplies to last much longer. Don't worry they will be back before the storms."

"Oh, and that other young girl, Laura, is out back helping with the animals. She's a good kid. Strong." Jim let out another smile. "She reminds me of Johanna actually, always fighting for someone, not letting anyone or anything fall to the side."

He patted Castle on the shoulder and turned to go back towards the stairs. "You all should head on out now, before it gets dark. I'll see you in the morning."

Castle called out a quiet thank you before turning back to herd the others out the door, leading them out to the Beckett homestead.

The walk across town was quiet as they worked to haul their belongings through the snow. The drifts had shrunk in the past few days but the snow was still deep enough to sink into and the heavy bags and trunks were not helping.

The sun was starting to sink over the horizon as the four reached the property. The house was still standing in perfect order, a dusting of snow on the roof and a couple of chickens running around outside of the coop. A cow mooed from inside the barn and Castle could hear Bucket whinny. He let out a small smile before he stopped short and held a hand out to motion for the others to stay still as well. A wagon sat, empty outside of the main house and the door was standing wide open.

Castle took a shaky step forward, motioning for the other three to stay back as he made his way slowly towards the door, fist clenched at his side. The first step creaked as he ascended the short staircase and he heard a clatter come from inside.

Castle made quick work of the last two stairs and, with his back against the wall, peered through the open doorway only to find himself face to face with the barrel of a five shooter revolved.

"Esposito?" He squeaked as he took a step back.

All of a sudden the gun dropped away and Castle heaved out a sigh of relief. "Castle? What are you doing here?"

Castle shook his head as he dropped his hands and motioned to the other three people that it was all right. "Alexis followed Kate back out here, we followed them. I'm surprised Beckett didn't tell you all of this already."

Esposito shook his head slowly as he holstered his weapon and gave the three other New Yorkers a weary glance. "I've been out on the reservation for days, I didn't even know Beckett was back."

Castle stopped still. "Jim said she rode out to meet you three days ago."

It was Esposito's turn to freeze as he took in the information and shook his head. He didn't even have to say the thought that was echoing through both of their minds: Kate had never shown up.

She was out there somewhere and a storm was coming.


	10. Chapter 10

City Slickers

A/N: Here's a short one, but hopefully you find it good. Or, if you are like me you may be bawling your eyes out through the entire thing! :)

Once again, thank you for all of your kind words and encouragement, it does mean a lot to me. :)

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><p><span>Chapter 10<span>

"Momma, Momma, look what I can do!"

Kate lifted a hand to her head as she groaned and blinked open an eye. No, her head hurt too much to wake up right now. She just had to sleep for a few more minutes. She groaned again and closed her eyes.

"Momma, no. You have to wake up. You have to stay awake, Momma," the little girl commanded again.

Kate squinted through the darkness to make out a small freckled face grinning back at her.

"Hi, Momma," the little girl waved at her as her smile grew. Her green eyes twinkled and her long auburn braids fell down over her shoulders.

"Sarah, sweetie, you have to let me sleep. My head hurts too badly. Momma's sick," Kate groaned.

"No, you can't sleep Momma. You hurt your head. Now, you have to watch what I can do. Come on; open your eyes. You have to see it!"

Kate forced her eyes back open at the sound of her daughter's excited command and peered through the grey haze. She watched as Sarah lifted her arms over her head and stuck out her little tongue in concentration, her brow furrowed as she went over the steps in her head.

In one swift motion she brought her arms down and swung her legs up over her head, whirling her body around in a cartwheel. She landed with her feet on the ground and threw her hands up over her head in victory.

"Did you see that Momma? I learned it all by myself. Well, not all by myself. Grandma helped a little, but mostly she just cheered and clapped. Wasn't it good, Momma?"

Kate smiled at the little girl bouncing in front of her. "Yeah, Baby, you did real good, but Momma has to sleep now."

Kate felt her eyes drooping closed again as she tried to shift her legs and groaned out in pain.

She let out a hiss as she felt her shoulder shake.

"No, Momma! If you sleep you'll die. You can't die yet."

Kate let out a sigh and forced herself to lift her head off of the ground, the minute movement left her feeling exhausted. She had to sit up if she wanted to stay awake. She shifted her legs slightly and gasped as she felt something wet sliding down her skin. She was bleeding.

Bracing a hand on the ground she pulled herself backward, until she was settled up against the wall. The wall of what?

She turned her head to the side, blinking her eyes open, again, to take in her surroundings. She was in a cave. No, not a cave. It was the old mineshaft. She was at the mouth of the old mine. She could see a tree in the distance, snow, rocks. It was getting dark out but at least she knew where she was. Her head flopped around to look the other direction. The mine was black. There was nothing in the other direction.

Kate looked down at her leg and moaned. There was a gash going from her upper thigh to her shin. She pulled open the sides of the cut in her pants and peered down at her skin, her eyes squinting to focus through the throbbing pain in her head and the lack of light from the setting sun. The sides of the wound were already starting to turn red and angry, rising up in a slight ridge. It was getting infected. That was not good.

She let out a sigh and pulled her coat tighter around her as she shivered against the cold. She looked around again. There were dirt and rocks. Nothing more.

"There's nothing to make a fire in here Momma. It's going to get really cold. You could freeze."

Kate looked up to see Sarah's little face only inches from her own. She shook her head. She needed to think, but the pounding in her brain was making it too hard. She couldn't concentrate.

"Whisper's gone, Momma. She ran off after she threw you. Something spooked her, remember? She had all of your supplies. You have to stay warm, Momma."

Kate shook her head again, trying to clear her thoughts. Slowly, she raised a hand to her face, running it over her eyes, back through her hair and down. Think, Kate.

She was near the entrance to the cave. There would be wood outside; she could use that to make a fire.

Sarah shook her little head in response. "The wood out there is wet Momma, you know that."

"The mine," Kate mumbled. "There's wood further down in the mine."

Sarah smiled, her little white teeth shining in the darkness. "It would be dry, too. But you just have to bring it back up here. If you light a fire down there, you will suffocate!"

Kate forced herself to stand, inching her way slowly up the wall as she kept her weight on her uninjured leg. She limped along, holding one hand against the wall as she made her way, slowly, down into the mine. Her tongue darted out and she tried to wet her lips.

"There's water in your pouch, Momma. It's on your hip."

Kate glanced up to see Sarah bouncing along beside her, braids flying around as she twirled in a circle. The hem of her little prairie dress floated out as she spun. Kate reached down to grasp her water pouch and lifted it to her lips to take a long pull, chugging down gulps of water.

"Not too much, Momma. You don't have anymore." Sarah let out a little huff, her tiny fists resting on her hips. " Seriously, you have to start to remember these things for yourself. I'm not always going to be here to remind you, you know."

Kate let out a startled laugh and dropped the leather pouch back down to her side. "Sorry, Baby Girl, I forgot."

Sarah rolled her eyes and started to skip forward again. "Come on, it's going to be dark soon. You have to get the wood."

Kate huffed and pushed herself a little further down the wall. "Why can't you go get the wood?"

"Because I'm not really here, remember? I'm dead."

Kate stopped in her tracks, her feet like little lead weights on the ground. She felt her chin crumble. She was dead. Her little girl was dead.

Sarah huffed in front of her. "I'm dead, Momma. It's been thirteen years. You have to move on. You have to save yourself…"

Sarah's voice trailed off as a small impish smile covered her face, "Unless, of course, you are waiting for Rick to come and save you."

Kate groaned. "Not you, too."

"He is cute, you know, and he's nice. He loves you. You could do a lot worse."

"He's engaged."

"Yeah, to Gina."

Kate couldn't help but smile at the way Sarah drew out the woman's name with a crinkle of her nose.

"Gina's a bitch," Sarah continued. "He deserves better, even if he is being an idiot. He deserves you."

"Sarah!" Kate admonished. "Don't use that kind of language."

Sarah shrugged and went back to skipping along side her mother, her braids bouncing in rhythm. "I'm a figment of your imagination, Mother. I use the kind of language that you use."

Kate stooped down to pick up a piece of wood and stumbled slightly, her vision blurring as the ground drew closer. The air wheezed out of her lungs as she fell and rolled onto her back, coughing as she gasped.

"Momma? Are you all right?"

Kate nodded and put a hand to her head. "Yeah, Baby Girl, I'm fine. Just got a little dizzy and fell."

Sarah leaned back onto her heels as she knelt down next to her mother. "Maybe you should just stay here for a little while."

Kate shook her head as the green eyes staring down at her started to blur. "No, I have to get back up and get wood."

Sarah nodded, a small smile on her face. "Good job, Momma. You're doing better already. Soon you won't need me at all."

Kate shook her head as she pushed herself back off of the ground. "I'll always need you."

"No, Momma, you won't. You're already getting better, learning to live without me. You've started to let yourself be happy without me, too."

Kate paused again as she braced herself against the wall, leaning forward slightly to grasp another piece of wood. "No, I can't do that."

"Yes, you can. You deserve to be happy, Momma."

"But you're dead."

"Yes, I am. You being miserable isn't going to change that. I'm dead and you're alive. Let yourself live. I'm doing okay, you see. I'm happy. I can do cartwheels!"

Kate chuckled as Sarah twirled around in another circle, her little pale arms flying out beside her. "I'm happy. You deserve to be happy, too. So, here is what you are going to do. You are going to finish getting the wood. You are going to build a fire and keep yourself warm. When Rick shows up, and you know he will, you are going to tell him you love him and that you were a fool to let him go in the first place. You are going to get married and have lots of little babies and you are going to grow old together. You hear me?"

Sarah stood staring at her with her hands on her hips and her chin jutted up in defiance.

"Yes, ma'am," Kate said in reply as she shook her head at her daughter. "You really are a Beckett woman. Stubborn to the core."

Sarah let out a small giggle as Kate turned back around, an armful of wood held against her side. "You have any bright ideas on how to light this, Baby Girl?"

Sarah rolled her eyes again and pointed to the gun on Kate's hip. "Gun powder, of course."

Kate slowly trudged back down the tunnel towards the entrance and eased herself back down the wall until she was sitting on the cold damp ground. Her leg was burning, heat radiating off of the wound. It wouldn't matter soon if she had a fire going or not, if she didn't get help the infection was going to get worse and she would die anyway.

"They'll be coming in the morning, Momma. You have to believe that. You just have to make it until the morning and you will be saved."

Kate nodded her head as she set about making the fire. She set up the wood before she reached down to her gun and pulled out a single bullet, using her knife to pry it open. She dumped the gunpowder on the wood before she felt the ground beside her to find a couple of flat rocks she could use to make a spark. She brought a finger up to rub her temple. It hurt so bad she could barely concentrate, but she had to. She had to start the fire. She had to stay awake, she had to keep the infection from getting any worse.

She had to do it and she could. She could do it for herself. She could do it for Rick. She could do it for Sarah, because no little girl deserved to watch her mother die.


	11. Chapter 11

City Slickers 

A/N: So, 9 hours after I first tried to post this I have success! As always, thank you for all of your kind words and reviews. And to all of my new readers who are just catching up on this and the Western Way, welcome!

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><p><span>Chapter 11<span>

"Momma?" Sarah's little mouth opened into a yawn as she shifted and rested her head on Kate's good leg.

Kate bent her head to look down at the girl lying in her lap. She ran a hand over the little brown head, taking a minute to rub her thumb against her ear, and up along her eyebrows and down the ridge of her nose. Memorizing her features: every freckle, every birthmark. She had to remember for when Sarah was gone. Her head was swimming, her eyes battling for focus as the fire died down and the sun peaked over the horizon, casting a faint orange glow over the landscape of the cave. Her breath hung in the air as she exhaled, thousands of little ice crystals floating momentarily in front of her face as she focused on remembering to breathe, gazing down at the tired girl in her lap.

"Yes, Baby Girl?"

"I'm getting sleepy. Can you tell me a story?"

Kate stifled a yawn and blinked her eyes, her eyelids taking longer and longer to stay open. She was getting tired, too. Oh, so tired. It was getting harder and harder to will herself awake. As Sarah began to quiet down, Kate felt herself growing sluggish as well. She shifted slightly and hissed as she forced her injured leg to move. "Yeah, Baby Girl, I can tell you a story."

She leaned her head back against the wall and blinked her eyes. It was starting to get hot in the cave, very hot. It was too hot. She ran a hand over her forehead, wiping a layer of sweat from the wet hair plastered against her face and her neck. She was sweating. She let out a breath and watched as the moisture froze and hung in the air.

She shifted her hurt leg and sucked in a breath in pain.

Sarah turned her head to look at the hurt limb. Kate yelped as tiny fingers brushed against the rip in her pants and she could see the angry red walls of the cut along with the puss beginning to form as the scab began to cover the wound. "The infection is getting bad, Momma. You need to clean it before it gets worse. You can't let it get to your blood."

Kate nodded her head at her daughter's whispers. Her head was swimming and she cold feel it loll to the side as she attempted to lift it again. With the little energy she ha left she forced it back up to rest against the wall. She felt a lone tear run down her cheek as her hand flopped uncertainly towards the knife secured at her hip. Her fingers were stiff as they curled around the hilt of her knife. Her muscles felt like jelly as she tried to pull the tool from it's holder and her hand flopped down to the ground again, the knife still gripped in her fingers, lying at an awkward as she stared at her arm like it was a foreign object invading her body. She had no strength. She could barely keep her eyes open.

It was dawn and no one was here. She had survived the night. They were supposed to be here. Her eyes drifted to the entrance to the cave. She was about halfway between the reservation and town. It was far but she might be able to make it if she tried. The snow was deep though, it would be hard to walk through healthy, hurt it would be nearly impossible but she could try.

"You just have to hold on until tonight, Momma," Sarah whispered into her ear, a small hand running through her hair. "You have to hold on, they will be here tonight. You aren't strong enough to walk but they will be here soon. At least here you can stay warm. If you try to make it back on your own you will freeze or your legs will get worse and you will lose it."

"But it will be days before Javi makes it back to town. It could be weeks. No one will know I am missing," Kate whispered back as Sarah wrapped her small arms around her mother's neck, resting her head on her shoulder.

"No, they will be here. You have to have faith. They will find you; you just have to hold on until tonight. You can do that Momma, but right now you have to clean that wound. Then you have to tell me a story."

Kate's gaze drifted down to her leg and her eyes rose back up to the dying fire. There were a couple pieces of woods till glowing in the pile, red-hot embers flying. She could feel herself choking up again as tears threatened to spill out of her red-rimmed eyes and down her dirt smudged cheeks.

"Drink some water, Momma," Sarah soothed.

"It would be better if it were whiskey," Kate mumbled and her lip flickered up for a second as she heard Sarah giggle in her ear.

"You're silly, Momma."

Kate sighed and let her head rest back against the wall for a moment longer before she forced her neck and shoulder muscles to tighten, bringing her into a sitting position with a strength she didn't know she still had.

She wiped the back of her hand over her forehead, smearing the sweat soaked hair mattered to her skin. She shivered as a flash of cold shot through her body before the heat was back, sweltering.

She leaned forward and stared down at the gash, the morning light beginning to sparkle through the dim cave. She used the knife to cut the cloth of her pants a little more, exposing the area. The wound was starting to heal, capturing the infection inside. She had to open it back up. Slowly, she settled the knife against her skin, the light contact causing her to wimped in pain.

"Don't worry, Momma," Sarah said again, from her position kneeling at Kate's side. "I won't tell anyone you cried, screamed or whined. It will be our secret. Yell as loud as you want to. It will help, I promise. You don't have to be strong here. It's just you and me."

Kate nodded her head and took in a deep breath. She could do this. She could do this for Sarah. The blade of the knife pressed down and Kate cried out in pain, her screams echoing off the walls of the mine as the skin popped open and the smells of infects flesh wafted up towards her nose making her want to gag.

Blood and puss oozed out of the now open wound. Tears streamed down her face as she leaned her head back against the wall and sobbed uncontrollably, allowing herself a moment of weakness before she continued.

"You can do it, Momma. You can do it." Sarah chanted. Her fingers tangled in Kate's hair, playing with it gently, soothingly.

Kate nodded her head and sniffled one last time before focusing on her leg again. Reaching into her pocket, she pulled out a bandana and used it to wipe away the blood, forcing it down into the wound to scrape out the puss and infected flesh. The gash grew in size as she jabbed at it, hissing and screaming every couple of seconds, not caring how much noise she made. This was painful. It was more painful than childbirth, worse than getting rape, shot or stabbed and she was doing it to herself.

"You're doing it to save yourself," Sarah whispered. "Remember that, Momma."

The bandana dropped to the side and Kate bent over again, using the knife to cut the bottom half of her pant leg away. She would need something to cover the wound once she was done. She set the scrap of cloth to the side and reached forward, using her other arm to brace herself as she grasped one of the still hot sticks in the fire. The end was charred black but heat still radiated from it, red embers glowing in the wood.

She had forced herself up twice during the night to pick up more wood from the cave, each time standing getting harder and harder.

Leaning back, once again, she took in a couple of deep breaths, holding the last one in her lungs as she gritted her teeth, jaw clenched. She jabbed the stick down into her leg, listening as the skin sizzled and the wound cauterized. Whimpers barely made it past her lips, as she no strength left to scream. After agonizing seconds that went on for years, she flung the stick to the side and wrapped the cloth hastily around the wound as the land around her began to swim, tilting and whirling.

Sucking in a deep breath she turned, rolling over, to brace herself on an arm as she heaved, vomiting up traces of water and stomach acid. She nodded slowly as she fell back onto her back and her eyes drifted closed. Sarah curled into her side, a small warm body next her hers, the little voice whispering into her ear.

"Go to sleep, Momma. It's okay. Rest now, they will be here soon. I will tell you a story."

Sun filtered into the space and Kate let out a little sigh as her leg throbbed, pulsing in pace with her heart and the pounding in her head.

She felt weightless as her body slumped down into the dirt ground, arms falling limply at her sides, the cold of the wind mingling with the heat of the infection threatening to take over her body.

Sarah's soft voice drifted into her ear, a small smile in the little girl's voice as she ran a hand through her mother's hair, trailing small fingers down the side of her face, wiping away tears.

"Once upon a time, in a far away kingdom, there was a little princess named Sarah and she had the strongest mother in the whole world…"

A smile flickered over her face as she listened to her daughter's voice fade into the morning light. The ghost of little fingers lifting from her skin as her mind slipped back into the velvet darkness, so comfortable, so welcoming.

Yes, she could sleep now. They would be here soon. She could sleep.

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><p>The door to Kate's small house banged open as she Castle bust into the single room. Gina and Esposito ran up after him, filling the doorway as Castle worked his way though the room, throwing objects through the air, onto the still made bed in his haste.<p>

"It's gone," he stated as he paused in the middle of the room. "Her supplies: her pack, bow, arrows, bed roll, canteen. None of it is here. Whisper is gone from the stables. She went out to the reservation, she just never made it."

His eyes were wide as he glanced back at the other two. Everything was spilling out, he could feel it: the fear, anger, love and worry. It was all spilling out in the words and his gaze but he didn't care who saw it. He didn't care that Gina saw it.

"We have to go out there. It's freezing and if she hasn't made it back by now it probably means that she is hurt," he continued as he stalked back towards the door, brushing past them into the cold winter air.

Esposito turned to look where the sun was lowering towards the horizon. "We can't go now, hombre. It is going to be dark soon. We will get lost out there also."

Castle turned back towards his friend, his jaw set and a fire burning in his eyes. His voice came out in a strained hiss. "She will freeze to death."

Espo took a steady step forward, his head bowed as he came closer to his friend, his palms open and brought up to his waist, to show surrender. "She's strong Rick. If she is still alive she can make it through the night. Even if she is injured, if she is conscious she will have found some place safe to stay until we find her. If she was knocked unconscious then she is already dead. It's been days. If she is still alive we will find her in the morning. You know how much she means to me. She's my sister, if not by blood than by spirit. I'm not being heartless; I'm being practical. She would do the same."

Castle's fist clenched at his side, fingers bending and flexing as he felt the anger swell and subside inside of him. Esposito was right.

The deputy walked around him with a pat on the shoulder and went back to tending his horse, and the buggy. "I need to head back to town, gather some supplies we need. I was going to get some from here but it's been tapped dry. I'm guessing Kate took a bunch of them. Some settler's might have picked through here, as well."

Castle turned to look at him and shook his head with a sigh, glancing between Ashley, Amanda and Gina who were all standing awkwardly around, staring between Castle and the deputy. "We should all head back to town. It's not going to be safe for the three out of here alone."

"You aren't seriously thinking about going out there, are you?" Gina exclaimed, taking a step towards him. She reached out and pulled at his arm, dragging him away from the others.

Castle turned to look at his fiancé, with a sigh, bringing his fingers up to pinch the bridge of his nose. "Of course I am. Kate knows this area better than anyone. If she's out there it's because she is hurt. We have to find her."

"The hell you do. You will be killed out there. None of us should be out here in the first place, if it weren't for that daughter of yours we wouldn't be and as for Kate, your friend over there is right. She's probably already dead."

Castle took a step towards her, anger bubbling in his chest as his hand clenched at his side.

"She's not dead," he ground out through clenched teeth. "I would know if she were dead. As for Alexis, she did what she thought was right and if she hadn't of come out here, I would have been on that train anyway."

Gina stopped, her next sentence dying on her lips as she stared up at him, a revelation reflected back in her eyes. "You're in love with her."

The whisper fell from her lips and Castle opened his mouth to protest but he felt his jaw snap shut without a sound as she continued.

"I thought it was just her. I thought she was infatuated with you but you only saw her as a friend, but I was wrong. You're the one that's in love with her. She pushed you away; so you proposed to me." Gina took a step towards him, as his gaze stayed steady on his boots.

She let out a small laugh when he failed to respond. "You're really in love with her. Can I ask why? The woman might possibly be insane. She dresses like a man, she has no manners, she's divorced, she swears like a sailor. She is no was a lady. She practically kidnapped your daughter."

Rick's blue eyes flickered up to meet hers, grey with anger, but he bit back his answer, letting the words die before they pushed past his lips.

Gina nodded her head, at his lack of a response; the silence speaking volumes. She turned to look away from him before sucking up a breath and turning back around to face him. "Well, you better get over this little crush you have because we are going to get married and you are never going to see that woman again in your life. So, tell me Richard. It's me or her."

Castle looked at the woman standing in front of him, arms crossed over her chest jaw clenched, giving him an ultimatum. She was beautiful; she was from a good family. The name Cowell would get him and his daughter far in life. The combination of Cowell and Castle would be a powerhouse in New York. Once Alexis married Ashley, the addition of the Sinclair's would bring the East to its knees.

Life would be easy with her. He was used to the easy life, just flashing a smile and getting anything he wanted. Anyone. He had won Gina over with a smile, Meredith, a dozen other women, but not Kate. Kate was difficult. He had smiled at her and she punched him in the gut.

Kate would never fit in back in New York. She would be miserable, she had told him as much herself. She belonged out west where she could be free. Alexis would be back in New York or Boston. She would be married with children that he would rarely see. Life would be hard out west. There would be diseases, famines, snowstorms, trouble with the army and the reservation. He would constantly worry that she would make it home at night. She was damaged; she was dark. She would push him away constantly. He already knew this. He would have to pry to get her to talk to him and even then, she would get angry. She was too strong for him, too independent.

Jim's words from months before echoed through his mind and he couldn't help but smile. _She like's you, you know. She aimed for your stomach. _

"_We would have been great together."_

"_You have no idea."_

He lifted his eyes to look at his fiancé: the easy option. He could fake smiles with the best of them. He would be a best selling author, editor of the New York Times, married to Gina Cowell. He would be set for life; his daughter would be as well. His mother.

He saw grey staring back at him.

He wanted green.

_Why do you love her?_

_Because she is the most extraordinary person I have met in my life. _

"Her. I choose her."


	12. Chapter 12

City Slickers 

A/N: Thank you for your patience. Here is chapter 12. :)

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><p><span>Chapter 12 <span>

Castle sat on the front step of the house as the sun began to dip towards the horizon. He could feel his heart sink with it. The temperature was dropping fast and so was his faith. Espo was right; he knew that. If they left now it would be dark before they even found her, if they didn't get lost themselves. They had no way of knowing what shape she was in, or where she was. It was safe to assume that she had taken her normal path between the homestead and the reservation, but then again so had Javi, so why didn't he see her?

_Think Castle. _

Rick pushed himself up off of the step and began to pace in the shallow snow. He had traveled the route a couple of times, what had he seen? He had seen Kate talking with his daughter. He had seen the way her hair fell down her back framing her face. He had seen her smile…

_Focus Rick. _

He sighed. It had been a well-worn path. Traveled frequently. It was a few miles between the settlements. There were trees, and more trees. A creek. A few rocks…

Castle brought a hand up to rub his forehead and growled. This was not helping. He needed something.

He turned back towards the homestead and started up the steps to find Esposito in the house. Javi knew this terrain as well as Kate did, he knew how she thought. He would be able to tell him where she would go. Rick clomped up the steps, shivering as his body remembered exactly how cold it was outside and his heart sank a little bit more.

The front door banged open and Gina stormed out, Amanda Stevenson scurrying along behind her.

"We are leaving. There is nothing you can do to stop us!" Gina called over her shoulder and Rick turned to see Esposito leaning against the door jam.

"Pardon me, Chica," Espo began slowly as he pushed himself off of the frame with his shoulder and sauntered out to the deck a step. "But a storm is threatening and there won't be another train for weeks, if that soon. You are stuck out here whether you like it or not. If you try to get to Denver, in this weather, you will die."

Rick's head swiveled from the deputy to the two women, his eyes wide as he saw his, now, ex-fiancé swell with anger.

"With the cabin picked over the way it is, it isn't safe for you all to be out here. Now we are going to go back to town. You three," Espo paused to look at Gina, Amanda, and Ashley. "Will find a way to help out."

Amanda's mouth opened to protest but Espo cut her off again. "If you are here eating the little food we have and taking up space in the warmth, you are going to help. I don't care who you are or where you came from. You eat, sleep and breathe with us, you are one of us. That means you help. There is no place for egos or solidarity out here. It's not ever man for himself. We do that; we die. Now let's get back to town. We'll take the wagon, it will be quicker."

Castle watched as Javi handled the women. He would have stepped in and taken over. He knew them, he knew their kind, but he couldn't. There was too much already. His chest felt like it was going to break as the panic ripped through him. He was useless against the sinking sun and impending night. The darkness was winning and he couldn't let that happen.

The three New Yorkers physically deflated. Espo pulled the wagon up to start loading the luggage and the few supplies they had scavenged into the back. Once the women were settled, Ashley lifted himself up into the back of the wagon. The boy had been quiet the entire trip since they had seen Alexis, barely saying a word. Rick had noted it, but it wasn't a priority at the moment. The priority was getting a search party together.

Castle lifted himself up into the front seat of the wagon as Esposito settled in behind the reins.

The silence was palpable. He had so many questions itching to make their way off of his tongue, past his lips and out into the air. Where was she? How many people would they be able to get for a search party? What did Espo think happened?

A wolf howled in the distance and Castle stiffened. Wolves? Of course there were wolves. Rick swallowed the lump that had formed in his throat. His chest felt tight.

"Do you think she is still alive? Do you think she will make it through the night?"

His questions were quiet, for Esposito's ears only, as the others sat silently in the wagon bed, on top of the supplies and luggage.

"That depends," Espo replied quietly, his gaze never wavering from the pounded path in front of them. "What does she have to fight for?"

Castle felt his eyes flutter closed and he felt the bile rise in his throat. He wanted to be able to say that she had him to fight for, to win for. His mind wandered through the little he knew about her life. Her mother, her child, husband. They were all gone. He had given up on her too. He could have fought, waited a little bit longer before moving on. He could have told Gina that the wedding was off the minute she had shown up on his doorstep. Instead he had hesitated. He had done what society would have wanted. He had toyed with her, pulling her in before pushing her back out again. He had taunted her heart.

This was his fault.

He should have let her know that she could live for him, that he would be waiting when she finally made it home. Instead, he had chosen Gina.

His eyes drifted closed and he let out a deep sigh.

"She'll fight for her life, hombre. She always has, she always will. She's too strong to give up because her heart is broken. It hasn't stopped her before." Javier's voice was soft. "The question is, how hard are you willing to fight to get her back? Because it will not be easy."

Castle cracked his eyes open and turned his head to look at the man sitting next to him. "I would do anything for her."

Javier nodded slightly, his voice becoming harder with his next words. "Prove it."

Castle took in a startled breath and felt his hand clench in his pocket, the small doll and the little wooden wolf Kate had carved months before squeezed in his fist. He felt the pit in his stomach begin to fill.

She would fight for her life. They would find her. Then he would fight for her; prove that he loved her.

She deserved better than him and so he would have to become more.

* * *

><p>The hotel was still buzzing with activity when they returned. The group trudged through the doors, exhaustion finally threatening to take over as they looked around. A line was forming in the dining room, boasting that dinner was ready to be served. Castle felt his stomach growl, but pushed it down. There wasn't time to eat. They had to find Ryan, Montgomery and a map. They had to form a search party and get together supplies. They had to tell Mr. Beckett that his daughter was lost somewhere in the wilderness.<p>

"Javi!"

Castle turned to see Lanie Parish rushing towards them, as well as anyone could through the crowded lobby, wiping her hands on her apron as she approached.

Esposito opened his arms and the short woman ran straight into them. "You're back. I was starting to get worried. The next storm will be here soon."

Lanie pulled back and glanced around, confusion etched on her face as she took in the sight of the people around her. "Where's Kate?"

Castle stiffened. Javier shifted next to him, his words soft as he leaned to talk into Lanie's ear. "We don't know, chica. She never made it out to the reservation."

Lanie took a step back, a hand coming up to cover her gasp. "Oh, no."

She took another step back before turning an running back the other way, yelling out as she went. "Kevin, Roy, Jim, Jenny, Alexis! Back hall now!"

Javier made his way over to the desk in the lobby and pulled out a couple rolls of paper before motioning for the others to follow him through the hotel.

It was time to come up with a plan.

* * *

><p>"Ring around the rosie. Pocket full of posies. Ashes, ashes, we all fall down."<p>

Sarah made a little "umph" noise as her body collapsed onto the dirt ground and Kate's eye cracked open. The little girl grinning at her from her position sprawled on the ground, hands behind her propping her up.

"Hi, Momma! Did you sleep good?"

Kate let out a small groan. "Well. It's 'did you sleep well' not good."

Sarah let out another giggle. "You're so funny, Momma. Correcting my grammar at a time like this."

Kate shook her head. Lifting a hand to wipe at the dirt caked onto her face, she attempted to sit up against the wall. She whimpered slightly. She could barely feel her leg. It was so cold, her teeth chattered as she reached down to feel her toes. They were starting to turn blue. Her fingers pinched at the lower digits and the tingling shot up through her limb, jabbing her like thousand of little pins and needles.

She let out a hiss followed by a whimper. She swallowed the scream as the tears streamed down her face.

It hurt so badly.

"The sun's rising, Momma," Sarah whispered in her ear. "They will be here soon. You have to get the fire going again so you can stay warm. It got too cold last night, Momma. You're lucky."

Kate's eyes fluttered shut and she let out a sigh as she slumped back against the wall. "What does it matter? They're not coming."

Sarah rested her head on her mother's shoulder. "They're coming. You have to have faith. You've made it this far; you just have to make it a little longer. You have to fight Momma. Fight for your life. It's worth it, trust me."

Kate sighed again, struggling to shift in her seat, get a leg under her. She bent her good knee slightly and her body shook as she tried to stand. The pile of wood she had gathered was just off to her left. She only had to make it a few feet to get to it. Those few feet seemed so far away as she gazed down the cave. The sticks were floating farther and farther away.

Her body went limp again and she sank back against the wall again. She shook her head. "No, baby, I'm sorry. I can't anymore. It hurts too much."

Sarah stood, rising to her full height as she placed her fists on her hips and puffed out her chest, her chin jutting out in defiance. Her perfectly braided hair fell over her shoulders and her floral dress, without a smudge of dirt on it, hung loosely off of her body.

"No!" she shouted and Kate's eyes popped back open, drifting shut slightly. "You are not going to quit. You don't quit. You're upset about Josh? About Rick? Well, you know what? Screw them! You deserve better. You deserve more than some guy that is going to leave you for some society bitch."

Kate's eyes grew wide as she watched the eight year-old manifestation of her dead daughter spout expletives at her, screaming at the top of her little lungs. She sat up a little straighter as Sarah's rant died down and the girl deflated to kneel back on the ground next to her.

"You shouldn't be fighting for them, you should be fighting for you, for me. You need to fight for Emily," Sarah continued, softer.

Kate's eyes narrowed. Emily? She didn't know any Emily. "Who's Emily?"

Sarah's serious face broke into a wide grin. "My sister, silly! You're going to get out of here and become all strong again. Rick is going to come to his senses and break up with Gina. He is going to grovel at your feet. You will make him sweat for a little while. It wouldn't be any fun if you just take him back right away. But then you will give in and you two will get married and you will have a baby named Emily. At first you will be mad, I'm not sure why. Then you will be happy and you will live happily ever after. The end."

Kate couldn't help but smile at the little girl. "Happily ever after?"

"Yes. You deserve to be a princess, Momma."

Kate laughed softly, crooking her finger so that Sarah crept a couple of inches closer to her. "I'll let you in on a little secret, baby. I named you Sarah because it means princess. I wanted to have a strong princess for a little girl. And you know what?"

Sarah shook her head, eyes wide?

"You are."

Sarah's face broke into a wide smile. She opened her mouth to speak when her head whipped around to look at the mouth of the mine.

"You hear that Momma? Hoof beats. It's about damn time. They're coming Momma!"

* * *

><p>Castle had insisted on accompanying them. All of the other men had tried to talk him out of it, saying that the terrain was tough. It wasn't safe, but he had insisted. They had poured over the map all night, arguing about the different routes, looking at the landmarks. The women had dispersed to go about their various duties. Gina and Amanda had been put to work helping Lanie and Alexis. Castle could have sworn that Alexis had smirked when she had been informed that she could tell Gina what to do, but he just shook his head and had focused back on the map.<p>

There had to be something there, a clue.

Think like Kate. What had she told him?

"_You have to be careful out there, Castle. It's dangerous, even just traveling between the town and the outside settlements. There are wild animals, thieves and other criminals. Bandits will kill you. Wolves don't give a second thought to if you have a family. If something happens to you, you need to find shelter: something that will protect you. There are caves along here."_

_Castle watched her as she pointed to the map she had laid out in front of them, when they had been planning the trip to the reservation, before the army had attacked. When they had just been planning on going so he could meet Little Bear._

"_Caves are good. Safer. There's also an abandoned mine. I wouldn't recommend it as a vacation spot, they shut it down because it is unstable, but it would do in a pinch. The point is, that you need to find shelter. Got it Castle?"_

Castle peered back down at the map. The triangle formed by the town, reservation and army camp.

"There." He pointed at a spot on the map. "She's probably there."

The other man peered down at the page.

"The mine? No, she wouldn't go there," Ryan protested.

Castle shook his head. "It's the most central location. If she got hurt, lost her horse, it would be the easiest shelter to get to. If she is in this area, she would be in the mine."

The others exchanged a glance before Esposito let out a slight nod. "He's right. It would make the most sense. We'll hit it first. If she's not there, we will try the caves next. After that, it will be the army camp."

The group fell silent. It was there: the silent question. What if she wasn't any of those places?

No one answered.

Ryan glanced out the window. The sun was starting to rise. The supplies were gathered. They had food, water and blankets. Guns were loaded. "Let's go."

The snow was starting to fall harder as they approached the mine. The wagon was starting to get more and more stuck as the powdery snow continued to fall. The wheels couldn't get traction, and kept slipping and sinking. They had discussed ditching it, but they would need it when they found her.

Fresh wolf tracks patterned the ground and Castle gulped.

Wolves. Coyotes.

His hand dug into his pocket and grasped the little wooden figurines in his fist.

She could fight off a wolf.

He nodded. She would be fine.

The mouth of the mineshaft was dark, menacing. Esposito went first, his revolver drawn. Ryan and Montgomery went next. Castle followed at the rear.

"Beckett?" Espo called quietly as he made his way into the dark. "Can you hear me? Are you in here?"

The remnants of a small fire glowed red, dull.

Castle let out a small grasp when a bare foot came into view and his eyes traveled up the bare and swollen leg to the body attached to it.

She was lying slumped against the wall, her head lolled to one side. Eyes closed. Her hands were limp at her sides, one holding a flat stone. The knife was bloody on the ground next to her and her revolver was lying next to the dying fire.

Her lips were blue.

Castle ran forward, around the rest of the group, falling to his knees at her side.

"Kate? Sweetheart? Can you hear me?"

He patted his hand against her cheek; her head lolling limply will the motion. He put his hand against her chest. He couldn't feel anything. He slid it down to her stomach.

He let out a sigh of relief as he felt it rise slightly. She was breathing.

"She's alive!" He called and his words echoed down the shaft, followed by a rumble.

He glanced back at the other men, his eyes wide and they looked back with mirroring panicked expressions.

As quickly as he ever moved, Castle scooped up the woman from the ground and ran towards the mouth of the mine, the other's rushing behind him.

The rocks started to fall as they cleared the mouth and Castle let out a breath as he sank back down to his knees, Kate's body cradled against him.

Espo glanced toward the cave and then back towards them. "Way to go, hombre."

Castle let out a shaky smile. "Well, you know, gotta make it interesting."

The others shook their heads as Montgomery came over to him and helped to lift Kate up into the back of the wagon. She let out a groan as Castle climbed in next to her and piled blankets on top of her.

Her eyes fluttered open slightly and he smiled down at her.

"Hey," he greeted softly.

She stared back up at him for a second before swallowing, her eyes falling shut again.

Her mouth moved slightly and he leaned down, his ear an inch away from her lips, to listen to what she was trying to say.

"It's about damn time."


	13. Chapter 13

City Slickers 

A/N: Thank you for sticking with me through this one, I know the updates have been sporadic. Still a few more chapters to go with this one but I already have ideas for a 3rd installment. Are you interested? Any suggestions for titles?

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><p><span>Chapter 13<span>

"Set her down on the table," Josh ordered as the group of men came rushing into the room, Kate cradled in Castle's arms.

"She was awake when we found her, she only just went unconscious," Castle informed and Josh spared him a glance before turning back to the unconscious woman.

"Kate? Kate, sweetie, can you hear me?" Josh called, slapping her lightly on her cheek, her head lolling but showing no sign of waking. "She's too cold. We have to warm her up."

Lanie was currently piling blankets on her friend while the others stood awkwardly by the doorway. Castle hovered by Kate's feet, his hands fidgeting nervously, one coming up to run through his hair and down his face every few seconds, as if he had forgotten he had just done it moments before.

Laura came rushing up to the doorway and poked her head over Alexis's shoulder in time to see Lanie turn towards them. Gina and Amanda were in the corner, seeming wanting to sink into the corner. Not able to look away from the woman lying on the table but not moving to help either.

Lanie glanced up at the group of people before she started to hand out orders. "Alexis go fill up the tub but don't heat up the water."

Alexis looked up startled. "But it will be cold."

Lanie moved to remove Kate's remaining boot, not bothering to look up as she answered the girl. "It's warmer than she is now. If we warm her up too fast it will kill her and she's close enough already. Now move."

Alexis pushed past Laura as she rushed down the hall towards the single bathroom at the end of the hall. When the hotel had been built, the porcelain tub had been an added luxury for the higher paying guests. Now, it was playroom for the children. Alexis ushered them out, throwing the small wooden toys into the hallway after them before turning to the tub and the water pump attached. The water would be freezing as she pumped it from the outside and she stuck her head back out in the hall to call Ryan over to her.

"Get Eustice to warm up a couple of buckets in the kitchen. This water is too cold."

Ryan answered with a single nod before bounding down the stairs.

Alexis glanced back down the hall in time to see all the men, besides Josh, being ushered out into the hall and hear the door to the room slam shut.

"Laura," Lanie called. "Come here."

Laura stepped forward, her hands twisting in the apron as her gaze settled on the woman lying on the table in the middle of the room. She stopped suddenly and her head twisted around to see her mother right behind her, Amanda's hand gripping her arm tightly. "You don't go near her."

Lanie glanced up as she worked at the scraps of cloth tied haphazardly around Kate's thigh. "Laura?"

Laura looked over at Lanie, the crease in her freckled forehead deepening as her head swiveled back to her mother. "I… um…"

"All of this is her fault. You shouldn't be out here. None of us should. You don't go near her. She's not normal and I don't want you around her. If you do you are no longer welcome in my house," Amanda's voice was low, menacing as she glared at her daughter.

Laura's eyes grew wide as she stared back at her mother, her head swiveling back to look at Kate, lying still on the table, a sickening blue-grey tinge to her skin. She looked back at her mother's dark eyes and set jaw and shook her head slowly. "No, it's not. She saved my life. If it weren't for her, I would have died in that fire_. _It's time for me to return the favor."

Amanda's jaw fell open as Laura worked her arm out of her mother's grip and made her way to Lanie's side, awaiting her orders.

Amanda's jaw worked, opening and closing slightly as she tried to form words, but Lanie cut in, her eyes flickered between the two socialites, before Amanda could say anything more. "Either you two help or get out. Now."

Gina and Amanda glanced at each other. Amanda's neck turned red as she looked at her daughter standing by Kate's head, stroking her hair gently and Josh and Lanie working to keep her alive. With a huff she turned and yanked the door open, flouncing into the hall. The plain floral dress she had changed into disappearing into the hall as the door slammed shut behind her. Gina gazed after her friend, her eyes catching Castle's as he stood in the hall worried, useless at the moment, unable to be in the room with the woman he claimed to love. His eyes left hers and his sight settled on Kate as the door slid shut. Her head swiveled around in time to see the bandage slide open and all of them gagged at the smell of rancid, burnt flesh and infection that wafted up towards them.

"God, Kate," Josh chided as he bent over to look at the wound, his arm up to cover his mouth and nose. "What did you do?"

Gina felt the bile rise in her throat and turned towards the corner, bracing her arms against the wall as she fought for a clean breath. She choked back down the need to vomit before twisting her head back around to glance at the group huddled around the table.

"Laura," Lanie called. "Find me some scissors. We will have to cut off the rest of her clothes."

Laura nodded as she headed to the pile of supplies on the other side of the room and Gina watched as she rummaged through the piles of materials. She glanced back down and a sewing kit on the floor caught her attention. She bent down slowly; untwisting the twine holding the box shut and lifted the top to see the supplies inside, her hand reaching in slowly to pull out a pair of silver scissors. She looked at them for a moment, before glancing back up towards the door and over to the table. If Kate Beckett hadn't come to town, she and Richard Castle would be married by now, settled in his house, his daughter off at boarding school. They would attend cocktail parties and he would have his book published.

Gina glanced at Laura and the girl's words echoed through her mind. _If it weren't for her, I would have died in that fire._ Alexis could have died, too. Richard would have been devastated. She shook her head slowly and she stepped forward, the scissors in her hand, holding them out to Lanie.

She had never truly loved Richard Castle. She had loved the idea of him. He was a good man. They would have made a good couple, powerful. Castle hadn't loved her either but he would have married her anyway because he was supposed too.

Lanie's eyes caught hers as she reached up to take the pro-offered scissors. She nodded her head slowly and turned back to Kate, raising the tool up to cut away at the fabric.

"Go check on Alexis. See if she's ready," Lanie told her softly. "We need to warm her up, now."

Gina nodded slowly and made her way back to the door, slipping quietly out into the hall. She glanced around as she stepped into the narrow corridor. All the men glanced up at her and Rick's eyes caught hers again momentarily. Amanda was nowhere to be found. She nodded at her ex-fiancé slightly before turning down the hall without a word. She arrived at the bathroom in time to see Ryan dumping a second bucket of steaming water into the tub.

"Not perfect, but it will have to do," he grumbled.

Gina cleared her throat and Alexis glanced up at her. "We're ready."

Gina made her way back down the hall in time to see Laura rush out the door and bound down the stairs, taking them two at a time as her braided hair bounced after her.

Gina slid back into the room to see Lanie wrapping a blanket around Kate's naked body, catching a glimpse of the woman's ribs jutting out through her skin a mirage of bruises and scars peppering her body.

"They're ready," Gina informed quietly and Josh lifted Kate's body up quickly and turned towards the door, Gina holding it open as he rushed into the hall.

He made his way down the hall all the other men watching after him as he disappeared into the bathroom. He placed Kate gently in the tub, blanket and all. Kate let out a strangled moan, followed by a series of whimpers as her limbs started to twitch and thrash, the blood beginning to flood her limbs once again.

Alexis stepped back, startled, standing next to Gina as Lanie rushed forward, holding Kate's head to keep it above water.

"No, no, no, no, no," Kate started to mumble.

Lanie bent her head over, stroking the side of Kate's head gently as she whispered in her ear. "It's okay. You're all right. You will feel better soon. I promise sweetie. Just hold on."

"No, no, no." Kate groaned again, her words slurring together. "Sarah. Find Sarah. She's cold."

Josh looked up startled, catching Lanie's eye as she placed a gentle kiss on the top of her friend's head. "Sarah's fine, sweetie. We have her right here."

Gina glanced over at Alexis, whose eyes were wide in shock. "Who's Sarah?"

Alexis glanced back at her, her eyes flickering slightly as if she just realized whom it was that was standing next to her. She glanced back at the tub before answering the question in low whisper. "Her daughter. Their daughter. She did in childbirth."

Gina's eyes flickered, a look of pain glancing over her features. She swallowed hard and looked back as Josh leaned over into the tub, taking Kate's hand in his, pushing on her finger tips gently, sighing in relief as they slowly turned pink again, the blood rushing in to fill them.

A ghost of a smile passed over Kate's lips.

"She's okay?" Kate mumbled again, a slight hint of awe in her voice. "Go tell, Josh. He was upset. Ran away because she wasn't breathing. Tell him she's okay. He'll come home if she's okay."

Lanie looked up when Josh sucked in another breath, his fingers twisting through hers. "Josh is right here sweetie. Can you open your eyes?"

Kate's eyes blinked open slowly, her lips pressing together as the blue tinge began to fade and they started to become pink again. Her body shivered violently, the water splashing as she did. Lanie cradled a hand under her head to keep it from hitting the side of the tub. She tilted her head slightly to look at her ex-husband. "Papa said he found you by the tree. Remember the tree Josh? It's where you told me you loved me. Don't know why you love me. Just following me around for your stupid story. I pushed you away because you deserve better. Too damaged. Came to New York because I wanted to tell you I made a mistake but you moved on. Don't blame you. But you asked me to marry you by that tree when I told you about the baby. Papa was mad but he built the cradle. Your mother cried. Called me a harlot. You remember? You defended me. Asked me to marry you. Alexis reminds me of her you know. You have a good daughter. I only hope Sarah will grow up to be as good."

The group listened as Kate rambled on, twisting two stories into one jumbled mess of words and phrases.

"She's delirious," Josh stated quietly to Lanie. "She's warm enough now. We should get her out, we have to work on that infection."

Lanie nodded and reached back for a dry sheet as Josh reached down to pull Kate out of the water. They made their way back down the hall slowly, Josh adjusting Kate in his arms every couple of seconds to keep her from falling, her body still shivering violently.

"Is she supposed to be shaking like that?" Castle asked as they approached the room again and he smiled softly as Kate's head lifted slightly and her eyes fluttered open to look at him. "Hi."

She stared back at him and her mouth twitched slightly at his quiet greeting.

"She's shivering to warm her body up. It's a good thing, ig means she's going to be okay as long as we can get the infection in her leg under control. It's bad but it could be a lot worse."

Josh turned to walk back into the room, placing Kate gently on the bed before turning back to look at Alexis. "Go find Laura, we need that poultice. She should have been back by now."

Alexis nodded and turned towards the door, stopping short as Laura came bursting back through, breathing heavy; a bowl in her hand. "Here."

Laura held out the paste to Lanie and the woman set to work slathering it on Kate's wound as Josh tucked the pile of blanket's back over her. Leaning down to stroke the hair off of Kate's forehead. "Where do you hurt, Katie?"

"Everything hurts," Kate mumbled back. "Whisper got scared. Wolves and a gun. Someone shot a gun. She threw me and ran. Hit my head. Hurt my back. Branch caught my leg."

Josh nodded slightly as he worked to feel for bumps on her head and Kate whimpered, trying to push his hands away.

"Hold still," he chided gently. "I need to make sure you're okay."

Kate settled down as Josh finished with her skull and rolled her onto her side to look at the wound on her back. She was covered in a pattern of black, blue, and purple bruises. One large one covered her left hip, but Josh only nodded his head, satisfied that none of them were too bad. He pressed his fingers into her ribs and she swore at him as he hit a tender spot.

"You're lucky, Katie," he whispered again. "Only a broken rib and that cut on your leg. It could have been a lot worse."

Kate's eyes rolled to look up at him. Her gaze was still slightly vacant, but becoming more coherent with each passing minute. "I should be dead?"

Josh nodded slightly. "Yeah. It's a miracle you're alive. Three days in that cold, anyone else would have died."

Kate's mouth twisted up into a slight smile. "I'm a stubborn son of a bitch."

Josh let out a rumble of a laugh. "Yeah. You're stubborn alright."

Kate's smile fell a little. "Is Castle here?"

Josh's mouth twitched slightly and his shoulders slumped slightly as he nodded. "He's outside."

"Want to see him."

Josh glanced at Lanie who was finishing tying a fresh white bandage on her leg. She nodded as she flipped the blanket back over her body and Josh nodded in acquiescence.

The others slipped into the hall as Castle stood awkwardly just inside the doors, staring at Kate lying on the bed, the blankets rising and falling slightly with her steady breathing. She looked smaller than he had noticed in the past, her shoulders more narrow as they stuck out from the top of the bedding, her arms anchoring the pile of blankets across her chest. Her eyelids fluttered slightly and she turned her head to look over at him.

"Hey," he said softly, taking a step into the room. "You look…"

Kate let a weak, half smile slip. "You can say I look awful."

"No," he amended quickly, his voice a little too loud for the silent room as he took another step forward, sinking onto his knees beside the bed. "I was going to say you look beautiful."

"Kate's half smile turned into a full one as she shook her head slightly. "Liar."

"No," Castle challenged as he took her hand in his, playing with her fingers gently, before threading them through his. "Not lying. Just happy to see you."

"Happy to see you, too," she replied.

He reached up a hand, pushing a lock of hair behind her ear.

"Sorry about Alexis," Kate started. "Didn't know she was sneaking onto the train. I promise."

"I know," Castle replied. "Stubborn girl. Kind of like someone else I know."

Kate smirked. "We strong willed women have to stick together."

Her smile faltered a little and she glanced down at their joined hands before pulling hers back slightly. "You should go. Gina's outside."

Castle looked up at her, startled, his eyes narrowing for a second before they grew wide. She didn't know. Of course she didn't know. She had been stranded in a cave.

He threaded his fingers back through hers gently and inched closer to the bed as she stared at him in confusion. "I called off the engagement."

Kate's eyes grew wide and she fought the smile threatening to cross her face. "Oh, why?"

Castle leaned forward and placed a chaste kiss on her forehead. "Because there is someone else I want to spend the rest of my life with. You may know her: pretty girl, stubborn as a mule. Strong-willed, carries the weight of the world on her shoulders; doesn't back down from a fight. Has a tendency to almost get killed. Annoying as hell."

Kate pressed her lips together. "Sounds like you found yourself a winner."

Castle chuckled. "Yeah, well, she's sort of amazing as well. Kind, considerate, loves my daughter. Smart, funny. Puts up with me."

Kate groaned. "I wouldn't go that far."

"Kate…" Castle started, his voice drifting off as he leaned forward, the back of his hand stroking down the side of her face.

Her breath caught in her chest as their eyes locked and she turned her head slowly, nuzzling her head into his hand. It wasn't weakness. Allowing herself to be happy wasn't weakness. If anything it was strength. The strength to finally move on; move forward.

"Yeah, I know," she whispered back. "I love you too, you bastard."


	14. Chapter 14

City Slickers 

A/N: Only one or two more chapter to go, but due to overwhelming support part 3 of the Western Series is a go. ;)

As if you didn't know already, you all rock my socks. Now on to chapter 14! (Warning! fluff ahead)

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><p><span>Chapter 14<span>

Kate watched as the porridge fell in globs from her spoon back into the bowl, plopping back into a pile of grey-brown glop.

She let out a sigh and Eustice cleared her throat from her spot in a chair beside the bed.

"Do you have a problem with the food that I slaved over a hot fire to make for you?" Eustice questioned, a single eyebrow raised as she crossed her arms over her chest.

Kate paused, her spoon still held in the air, tipped, as her head turns to face her friend with a feigned look on innocence on her face.

"Don't give me that look," Eustice shot back. "I know when to be insulted."

Kate shook her head as she placed the spoon back in the bowl with a little splat and a huff. "I've been eating porridge for days. I've been sitting here, useless. I just want to get out of here."

Eustice sat staring at her, eyebrow still raised, arms still crossed over her chest. "You almost died. You didn't eat for days. You are skin and bones. You can't stand on that leg. You are not going anywhere, so you might as well eat. Lanie and I have a deal. I get to decide when you have eaten enough to get out of bed."

She pinned Kate with a look that clearly said 'I dare you to argue with me' and Kate glared back in kind.

The staring contest went on for a good minute before Kate finally huffed and slouched back in the bed, shoving a spoonful of porridge into her mouth with a defiant glare.

"That look would be more effective if you weren't doing what I wanted, you know," Eustice chided as she looked back down to her knitting and Kate huffed, swallowing a mouthful of, now, cold mush.

"This stuff is disgusting," Kate shot back and Eustice looked up at her, once again, with a raised eyebrow.

"Now you're just being mean."

"Having trouble with the patient, Eustice?"

Both women looked up to see Castle filling the doorway to the room, a small smile playing on his lips.

Eustice stood from her chair, smoothing her skirt with a hand as she turned around to face her boss. "Good evening, Mr. Castle, no more trouble than usual, considering that she is the most stubborn woman in the world and the worst patient in this hospital. Now, you get to deal with her."

Kate shot a glare at Eustice's back and shoved another spoonful of porridge into her mouth. Castle let out a chuckle as Eustice walked past him out the door, with one final glare at Kate, and he settled into the now vacant chair.

"It's not a good idea to piss off the cook, you know."

Kate swallowed her latest bite before dropping the spoon and crossing her arms over her chest. She eyed Rick for a minute, before answering. "It's not like the food could get much worse. I've been eating porridge for days. I know we don't have much but it's awful. Can't you find me some jerky or biscuits or something? Cornbread? There has to be cornbread."

Castle settled back in his chair, arms crossed over his chest as his brow rose in disbelief. "Is the great Sheriff Beckett whining?"

Kate scoffed at him. "No… I just…"

Kate let out a small huff as she pouted. "It's been three days and I have only been allowed out of bed to use the outhouse. I'm going crazy, Rick. I need to get out of here and not have people watch me eat."

She huffed again and Castle stood from his chair. "I think I know something that will make you feel better."

He leaned over, taking the tray off of her lap and lowering it to the floor before taking a step closer to the bed and lifting the blanket off of her lap.

"What are you doing?" Kate asked, her heart starting to pound a little bit harder in her chest, as she watched him debate his next move for a second.

She adjusted her simple white shirt nightgown nervously. She had wanted long johns, they were more comfortable and warmer, but Lanie had insisted on the nightgown to make it easier for them to clean the wound on her leg.

Castle reached down and Kate let out an uncharacteristic squeak as he scooped her up from the bed, one of his arms holding her across her back and his other cradling her knees. Instinctively she brought her hands up to clasp around his neck and she gasped slightly as he adjusted her until she was comfortable in his arms.

"Rick, what are you doing?"

"I'm taking you to see someone. Hold on."

He turned to walk out of the room and she unwound her fingers from behind his neck so she could tweak one of his ears. "I can walk you know."

"No, you can hop and hobble a little bit. Across the room it's fine, but I don't want to see you take a tumble down the stairs. Now, stop being all independent and stubborn and just allow me to be chivalrous for once." Castle chided gently as he maneuvered them through the doorway and into the hall. "Trust me, it will be worth the humiliation of being seen carried by a man."

Kate let out another defiant huff but it fell flat as her fingers wrapped around his neck began to curl through his hair and tickle at his skin. She tucked her head into his shoulder and watched as he walked steadily down the stairs and out the back door of the hotel.

"Sheriff Beckett, hi!" Laura exclaimed, as she walked out of the stables, another young woman at her side. "I am so glad to see you up. How are you feeling?"

Kate lifted her head off of Castle's shoulder to look at the girl, a soft smile on her lips. "I'm okay, Laura. Just looking forward to being able to walk on my own again."

She shot Castle a look and bit her lower lip as he let out a pained groan. "If you keep up the attitude you won't get your surprise."

Laura let out a small giggle, bouncing on her toes a couple of times in excitement. "Trust me, Sheriff, you want to see this. Come on."

Kate couldn't help but smile as she sighed in feigned reluctance. "Okay, fine, what's this big surprise."

Laura waved for Castle to follow her and the other girl, who Kate recognized as Olivia, the daughter of one of the ranchers in town, into the stables.

"She just came wandering up earlier this morning," Laura was babbling excitedly. "Olivia recognized her. She was really skittish but we were able to grab her and get her into a stall."

The group stopped in front of one of the stalls and Kate let out a small gasp as she stared at her horse snuffling slightly on the other side of the wood door. "Whisper! Castle, she came back."

Castle turned his head and gave her a soft kiss on her cheek as she continued to stare at her horse, a wide silly smile spreading across her face. He eased her down gently until her bare feet were on the dirt ground. He held her around the waist as she hopped the couple of steps until she could lean against the wood planks, one hand holding steady on his arm as the other reached up to pet her horse's nose.

"Hey, girl," she stated gently, leaning forward so whisper could rub her face against Kate's. "You came back."

Whisper snorted, her breath causing Kate's hair to flutter and Kate let out an uncharacteristic giggle. "That tickles, girl."

She leaned in to nuzzle her horse again before pulling back and looking up at Castle, tears glistening in her eyes and the wide smile still plastered on her face. He smiled back at her as he reached up to scratch Whisper between her eyes.

"Hey girl," he murmured to the horse, his other arm wrapping a little bit tighter around Kate's waist as she wavered slightly. "We should get you back to bed."

Kate shook her head defiantly at the suggestion, leaning more heavily on the wooden plank as she reached up to scratch behind Whisper's ear. "I'm fine."

She turned to look at Laura and Olivia, who were standing side by side, watching them from a few feet away. "She's okay, though? She wasn't hurt?"

"She's perfectly fine, ma'am," Olivia piped up, her hands wringing nervously in front of her as she gave the sheriff a shy smile. "She just wandered straight up to the stables. She still had her saddlebags and all of your supplies on and everything. Mr. Castle took them for safekeeping. She just needs some food, water and a good brushing."

Kate smiled at the girls. "Thank you for taking care of her."

Laura beamed back at her and Rick's hand squeezed her waist again as her knee started to buckle.

"Okay," he stated more firmly, lifting his hand up to wrap around her back, his hand secured under one of her armpits. "It's time to get you back to bed."

Kate nodded reluctantly and sighed as Castle bent down to gather her back up into his arms. She gave the girls a final wave as she adjusted herself in his arms and snuggled her head into his shoulder allowing her eyes to drift closed. She had only been out of bed for a few minutes and she was already exhausted.

The next time she opened her eyes, she was back in bed and Rick was slouched in the chair beside her, his head bent down with his eyes closed. She reached out slowly, her fingertips brushing a few stray strands of hair off of his forehead. She watched him sleep for a few more minutes, her hand falling to rest on his cheek.

She had considered making him follow her around for a few days, like he had when they had first met, watching her with puppy dog eyes. Her acting annoyed at his antics, as he stumbled over his words, but she couldn't bring herself to do it. She had almost lost him once already; she had almost died twice.

She didn't want to wait anymore.

He mumbled softly and his hand came up to catch hers as his eyes blinked open and he lifted his head to look at her. "Hey."

"Hey," she replied softly. "How long have you been here?"

Castle looked towards the window and blinked before turning to look back at her with a shrug. "I don't know."

Kate turned her own head to look out the window, blackness staring back at her. She sighed. It was late and she was still tired. Slowly she unwound her hand from his and lifted herself off of the bed slightly, inching her way to one side. She glanced up, catching his hurt expression as she moved away from him.

"Stop looking at me like I killed your prize cow and get your Yankee ass up here."

Kate let out a surprised laugh at how quickly Rick bolted from his chair and nestled into the narrow bed next to her, adjusting himself until her head was resting on his arm and his boot clad feet were crossed on top of the sheets.

Kate let out a little huff at being jostled around, her leg pinching with the motion. Castle froze as she sucked in a breath of air, her eyes shut tight as pain shot through her leg as he wiggled again slightly and his knee accidently connected with her wounded thigh.

"Kate, are you okay?" He asked; panic rising in his voice as he stared at her, wide eyed.

"Yes," she breathed out. "I'm fine. Just be a little more careful. I am wounded, you know."

Castle nodded, eyes still wide as he moved extra slowly, carefully adjusting himself the rest of the way to lie in the bed, with her pressed against his side, the sheet still between them for modesty.

"Oh, and one more thing," Kate continued, face pressed into his shoulder, her warm breath glancing off of his neck. "Pray that my father doesn't find you here."

Castle's eyes grew wide as she chuckled softly into his neck and patted a hand on his chest.

Her body relaxed into his as her breaths became even. He blinked up at the ceiling, his body stiff. His eyes flickered to the door, mental images of Jim Beckett coming towards him with a shotgun. He gulped and considered inching his way back out of the bed and back into the chair before anyone saw them. As he was slowly reaching for Kate's hand, to peel it off of his chest, she let out a small snore and snuggled closer into his body. He sighed and let his hand drop back down to his side, the fingers of his other hand running gently through her hair. He would just have to make sure he didn't fall asleep, because there was no way he could bring himself to leave Kate Beckett's side.

Not now, not ever.


	15. Chapter 15

City Slickers

A/N: Everyone watch the Castle Paley last night? Yes? Then you will catch the reference made in here. No? Well hopefully, you can see it later, it was hilarious and adorable. :)

Now, on to chapter 15! :)

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><p><span>Chapter 15<span>

The first thing Richard Castle saw when he awoke was the light floating in through the window, dancing off of floor and shining like a halo around Kate Beckett's head as she continued to sleep on his arm, nestled into the side of his body as if she had been made specifically to curl into his side.

The second thing Richard Castle saw, when he awoke and turned his head, was Jim Beckett sitting in the chair next to the bed with a shotgun lying across his lap.

"Good morning, son," Jim stated lazily as he shined the barrel of the gun with a rag, his eyes flickering up to meet the other man's. Castle stared back at him, wide-eyed for a moment before scrambling to sit up in the bed, Kate jostling awake in the process.

"Rick, what's going on?" She asked as she brought a hand up to rub her eyes.

"Good morning, Katie," Jim greeted as Kate's head popped up off the pillow, her eyes wandering to Castle, who was now standing about three feet away from his hands moving quickly over his body, straightening his hair, shirt and pants as he shot Kate slightly panicked looks.

Kate suppressed a smile as she watched him. There was something quite humorous about watching a grown man being terrified of her father. To Kate, her father was the furthest thing from scary. Even though, she had to admit, it hadn't been fair of her to tease him about Jim the night before.

"Morning, Daddy," Kate greeted as she covered a lazy yawn.

"Katie." Jim replied. "Did you sleep well?"

Kate nodded as her eyes flickered back to Castle, whose eyes were bouncing back and forth between the two Becketts. "Better than I have in a while. How are you doing?"

Jim nodded his head, his eyes twinkling slightly at his daughter. They knew exactly what they were doing. The two of them were a team. Since Johanna had died, it had been Jim and Kate against the world and it had been an uphill battle for the pair. Kate's pregnancy, short-lived marriage, Jim's alcoholism, Kate's near alcoholism, getting raped and most recently, both of them almost dying stranded in the middle of a snowstorm. But they had fought. Together, they had beaten down the odds. Jim had moved on from his wife's death, built a business and supported his family. He had supported his daughter and beaten down naysayers who had opposed Kate's appointment as sheriff. Kate had stood by her father as he had sobered up, held him back when he had wanted to punch Josh Davidson for getting his only daughter pregnant out of wedlock, and had polished glasses with him in the middle of the night in the bar as they talked about everything and nothing for hours on end.

They had stared down life together. They had battled. But now, it was time to have a little bit of fun.

Right now, it was time to make Richard Castle sweat.

Kate bit the inside of her cheek as Jim nodded at her, his head bobbing slowly as he pushed himself out of his chair, the long barreled shot gun held firmly in his right hand. "I'm feeling much better, Katie. In fact, I feel like doing some hunting, maybe get some game to feed these people for a while."

Jim paused to lean down and kiss his daughter on the cheek. He pulled back and Kate smirked up at him.

"And, I thought," Jim continued, as he stepped back from the bed and moved to stand next to Castle, his hand clapping down on the taller man's shoulder. "That Ricky here would like to come along."

Castle shot Kate a looked that couldn't be characterized as anything less than terrified, his eyes glued to hers as he shook his head wildly from side to side, mouthing 'no' at her, over and over.

Kate brought a hand up to cover her mouth to cover her smile as she forced herself to swallow her laughter and paste an innocent, slightly scared look on her face.

"I, umm… Daddy…" she started.

"Don't worry, Katie, I'll bring him back in one piece," Jim reassured as he squeezed his hand a little harder onto Castle's shoulder and the younger man let out a slight whimper.

Kate shot Castle an apologetic look as Jim steered him towards the door, Castle shooting pleading looks over his shoulder until he rounded the corner out into the hall.

Only once she was sure they were out of earshot, Kate allowed herself to laugh, the motion jolting her broken rib, making her side pinch and ache, but she didn't care. It felt so good to laugh, to finally be happy. And it didn't even matter that they hadn't even kissed yet. But they would, soon, and she was sure it would be fantastic.

Kate flopped back on the bed, her laughter dying down as she stretched out across the hard mattress. She didn't even mind that small, sharp pieces of straw were poking her in the back.

She stretched her leg, testing it slightly as she unbent her knee: the skin, stretching, pulling, as it unfolded. The gash trailed from her upper thigh to just below her knee, curving towards the inside of her leg as it went down. According to Josh and Lanie it as healing well and she could be up, walking with a crutch within the next few days. Even though she complained about it, Kate would take few more days of bed rest and a crutch over an amputated leg any day. She knew it had come close. Any longer and she would have lost the leg, if not her life.

"I'm glad to see someone is happy."

Kate looked up, startled at the biting comment, her smile falling, her hand stilled on her leg, as she looked at the woman standing in the doorway of her room, arms crossed over her chest.

"Mrs. Stevenson. I have to say, I am surprised to see you out here in Colorado," Kate greeted the other woman, her eyes narrowing slightly.

"It's your fault, you know. None of this would have happened if you hadn't come to New York. Rick and Gina, my daughter." Amanda Stevenson walked slowly across the room, her steps heavy, purposeful as she stalked towards Kate's bed. "It's all because of you and I will make you pay for it."

Kate swung her legs over the side of the bed, forcing herself to sit up straight and ignore the pain now shooting through her wounded limb, as she stared defiantly up at the other woman. "You don't scare me, Mrs. Stevenson. You may talk a big but in the end I am the law in this town and trust me, all the people here know it."

Kate pinned Amanda with a stare that would make most grown men run for cover but instead of backing down the other woman took another step towards her, until she was standing directly in front of Kate, both of her hands braced on the bed on either side of her, their heads inches apart.

Her voice was low the next time she spoke and Kate could feel her heart pick up speed as she forced herself to continue taking in shaky breaths. "You may be the law in _this _town Sheriff Beckett, but this town is nothing. You are nothing and I know people who can, and will, make your life hell. Trust me when I say that this is far from over."

Amanda pushed herself back up and turned towards the door without another look back as Kate watched her leave with narrow eyes.

If anyone asked Kate Beckett if she were afraid of Amanda Stevenson, she would laugh and brush off the question with a flippant statement about hot air and sheltered socialites. In truth, as she stared at Mrs. Stevenson's retreating back, she could feel a lump of trepidation forming in her stomach. She had seen it that first night at dinner when she had provoked the woman across the perfectly set and polished dinning table in New York, that dangerous look in the other woman's eyes. She had ignored it, went about her business as if Amanda Stevenson and the powerful connections did not bother her, but they did. It wasn't a rational fear, something brought about by experience. It was a gut feeling, the instinctual knowledge that something was about to go very wrong. Sometimes, that was more powerful than anything else.

"You know, you should be resting."

Kate snapped back into reality as she watched Alexis walk back into the room, a tray in her hands. She forced any though of Amanda Stevenson out of her mind and the uneasy churning sensation out of her gut as she smiled up at the girl. Her nose crinkled at the sight of the steaming bowl of porridge coming towards her, but she sighed and slid back in bed, until her back was resting against the headboard and she was once again snuggled under the blanket.

"I'm tired of resting," she grumbled in reply and Alexis snorted back at her.

"That's not what it looked like last night," Alexis shot back, a small smile playing across her lips as she placed the tray across Kate's lap and watched the other woman's eyes grow wide.

"You saw that?"

"Kate," Alexis started with a tone of maturity the sheriff had yet to hear from the teenaged girl. "Everyone saw that last night. It's not like there is a lot of entertainment around here and you don't have a door. Trust me when I say that the sheriff curled up in bed with a reporter, she was not married to, was the talk of the town."

Kate let out a small groan, not because people knew but because she knew she would have to hear about it from a particular group of friends for days on end and poor Rick was probably going to be threatened more than once. Her eyes flickered to Alexis who was fixing her skirt as she settled into the chair at the bedside.

"Are you all right with it, Alexis? Your father and I courting, I mean," she asked quietly as she brought a spoonful of porridge to her lips, no longer worried about the lack of taste and the less than appetizing texture of what she was eating.

Alexis looked up at her, a small sad smile crossing her face as she shook herself out of her own thoughts and looked at the woman lying in the bed, the woman she looked up to in the world as a mentor and the closest thing to a mother that she wanted. "Yes, yes I am."

Kate felt a rush of relief come over her as Alexis continued to smile over at her, but she could feel her own frown form as Alexis's bright smile faltered and the red head looked away, her gaze falling to study the cracks in the scuffed wooden floor.

"Alexis? What's wrong?" Kate questioned, her meal forgotten in front of her.

Alexis shook her head and took in a shaky breath as she willed herself not to cry. "Nothing, it's nothing important."

"Alexis," Kate chided gently, reaching out a hand to grasp Alexis's pale one, which was twisting itself in the girl's floral print skirt.

"Ashley is going back to New York. He said he can't live out here, like this. But I don't want to go back. Even when we were living there I would tell him that I wanted to come back out west after we were done with school. I thought he would love it out here as much as I do, but he doesn't. He said I was crazy for wanting to be here, living like this. I gave him his ring back, Kate." Alexis sniffled gently and Kate watched as the dams broke and tears began to slide down her cheeks.

Kate's grip on Alexis's hand tightened as she leaned over towards the girl, growling in frustration as the tray got in her way. Quickly, she pushed the wooden object to the foot of the bed before pulling gently on the girl's arm, forcing the crying teenager to come sit on the side of the bed.

"It's okay," she soothed gently as Alexis curled up on the bed, her head resting on Kate's shoulder, her tears soaking the thin cotton of her nightgown. Kate's hand stroked gently through her long red hair. "It's going to be all right."

Kate's eyes drifted across the room, something in the corner catching her attention. Her eyes grew wide as her hand continued to stroke soothingly through Alexis's hair, the girl's face buried in her shoulder. She felt her lips rise in a tentative smile as Sarah waved enthusiastically back at her, a wide grin crossing the young girl's face. _I love you, Momma_ the girl said to her before giving a final wave and disappearing through the wall.

Kate continued to stare at the empty corner for a few seconds longer before turning her attention back to Alexis, brushing a kiss over the crown of her head as she mumbled gently against her scalp. "Everything is going to be okay, I promise."

When Kate awoke from her afternoon nap, Rick was sitting in the chair at her bedside a mixture of mischief, love and annoyance painted on his face.

"Hey," she started quietly, her hand reaching out in invitation to one of his, both of which were currently crossed over his chest.

"You're an evil woman, you know. You and your father both: evil."

Kate couldn't help but chuckle at Castle's irritated look. "I would apologize but I'm not sorry. That panicked look on your face made it all worth it."

Castle huffed in mock annoyance. "I rescued you from a cave, I shared my body heat with you in the wagon and I stood by your side, worried, as you battled for life in this very bed and you make fun of me? Like I said before, you are evil."

Kate reached up a hand, to brush it against his cheek. "I can make it up to you, you know."

Castle's eye brow quirked, "And how do you propose to do that."

"Come here and I will show you," Kate whispered as her hand wound behind his ear and pulled him towards her until their eyes and mouths were inches apart.

She smiled as his mouth dipped the last couple of inches and their lips met in sweet kiss that had them melting into each other within seconds. Her lips parted gently and a soft moan bubbled up from her chest as his tongue danced across her lips, darting in to gently tangle with hers.

A throat cleared itself from the doorway and the pair broke apart, both breathing heavily as their four eyes shot over to see Lanie leaning against the doorframe arms crossed over her chest, eyebrow quirked in question.

"Sorry to interrupt, but I just have to see how the patient is doing," Lanie stated as she sauntered into the room, Rick sliding back into his chair as she did.

"The patient is ready to get out of here," Kate quipped back.

"I can see that. But, truly how are you feeling?" Lanie questioned as she flipped back the blanket and started to unwrap the bandage from around Kate's leg.

"Downright salacious." Kate countered, an eyebrow wiggling as she stared up at her friend, lips quirked up in an impish smile

Lanie bit back a laugh and pressed down a little harder than necessary on Kate's wounded leg.

"Ow!" Kate yelped and glared up at her friend. "You did that on purpose."

"Did not. But you better tone down the talk like that. People are already whispering about you two, there's talk of you being pregnant again and all."

Kate huffed, arms crossed over her chest as Lanie finished her examination and tied a new bandage over the wound. Castle was uncharacteristically quiet as he sat in the chair at her side, wide-eyed and looking slightly panicked.

"I would say two more days and you can be up walking around." She flipped the blanket back across Kate's lap and patted her gently on the foot before turning back towards the door. "Until then, not too much fun? Oh, and later, I want details!"

Kate laughed at her friend as Castle slumped down in his chair.

"Does everyone know?" He questioned.

"Apparently we are the talk of the town," Kate supplied in explanation as scooted over so that Rick could, once again, slide into the bed next to her. "What did my father do to you anyway? It wasn't bad was it?"

Castle shook his head. "I've been sworn to secrecy."

Kate glared up at him, "What do you mean?"

"I mean, I can't tell you."

Her eyes narrowed at him but he looked away, his jaw set. "Sorry, that is not going to work this time. You aren't getting a word out of me."

Kate continued to glare at him as he wound one hand through hers and his other patted at his pocket discretely, feeling the jagged edges of the diamond ring hiding in there.

"Fine," she grumbled after a moment. "But I will get it out of you eventually."

Castle turned his head to smile at her. "Oh, of that, my dear Sheriff, I have no doubt."


	16. Chapter 16

City Slickers 

A/N: Here is the last chapter of City Slickers. Part 3: The Root of All Evil (title provided by GHSchade- thank you for that) is coming soon. Things will be getting a little more interesting in Colorado Springs as old enemies return and the rumor mill begins to churn. Sometimes it's hard to know who to trust in the Wild West.

Thank you to all of you readers, old and new, for your continuing support for this little story. It is so much fun to write and I hope it is continuing to be fun for you to read.

Now, on to chapter 16! :)

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><p><span>Chapter 16<span>

It was another week before Kate was allowed outside of the hotel and the minute she was given her crutch, she had taken off through the doors and into the slush covered streets of Colorado Springs. Her leg had been healing nicely, she was able to walk short distances and her knee could bend most of the way. Her bruises were gone and she had put on enough weight that both Lanie and Eustice were satisfied. Those two women were bad enough on their own, but together they were a force to be reckoned with. One that Kate was more than happy to get away from as quickly as possible.

She hobbled her way a few feet down the rode before she turned back and made her way around the side of the hotel to the stables.

"Hey, girl," Kate whispered as she hopped up to Whisper's stall. "You ready to go home?"

Whisper gave a soft whinny and snort and Kate patted her gently on the nose, before leading her out of the stall. With a firm grip and gritted teeth she swung herself up onto Whisper's back, settling in like she had never been thrown off of her horse in the first place.

"You know, if it hadn't been for that darn saddle, I would have been able to hold on to you," Kate told the horse. "Luckily Rick's got all of your supplies and we don't need to carry them all back with us."

Whisper snuffled softly and Kate patted her on the neck, leaving her crutch on the ground of the stables as she took off, her legs clenched against the sides of the steed.

The ride out to the homestead was, short, almost too short but Kate was still grinning from ear to ear as she pulling Whisper to a stop and dropped back down to the ground, the horse wandering into the Beckett stables on her own. Kate bent her knees a couple of times, testing out her leg before she limped her way to her cabin. Making her way down the short path she stared at the stairs for a minute, debating whether it was worth it to walk up right then or if she should bide her time, sitting outside before making her way into the house. Once she went inside, chances are the idea of going back down the stairs would be a little too much to handle. Not that she would tell anyone that her leg was still hurting that much. If she had said that, she wouldn't have been allowed to leave her bed, let alone the hotel.

She glanced around. The early afternoon sunlight was warming her face in the ice-cold air— a strange combination but a sign that spring was just around the corner. Her gaze landed on a lone figure kneeling under the large oak tree at the edge of the property and she sucked in a short breath. Slowly, she hobbled her way across the yard, her boots sinking into the soft muddy ground. She cursed at herself for being stubborn and leaving the crutch behind as she limped along, her knee becoming more stiff with every step.

"You should be resting you know, not wandering around out here without a crutch," Josh stated as she used his shoulder to lower herself down next to him.

"Well," Kate replied. "If you hadn't been avoiding me like the plague for the past two weeks, I wouldn't have to track you down."

She leaned against his shoulder slightly, breathing heavily, tired from the overexertion on her still healing body. She rested her head against his shoulder, his arm wrapping around her as they stared at the tiny cross sticking out of the ground, a pile of rocks showing under the thin layer of dirty snow.

They both stared at the small wooden cross for long minutes. Josh reached out his hand and brushed a layer of snow off of the rocks covering the tiny grave.

"I missed you, you know," Josh confessed as he stared forward.

Kate reached out a hand to brush over the wood, her fingers tracing over the date carved in the plank. She stayed silent, waiting for him to continue.

"When you left after Sarah died. All I wanted was to be with you but you ran to the reservation. I wanted to run after you but everyone insisted that I let you be. After you didn't come home I got tired, fed up and I left. We had talked about moving east so I could go to school. I knew you weren't happy with the idea; that you wouldn't fit in, but I though that maybe you would follow me. When I came back a few years ago I though I might be able to convince you to give me another chance but you had changed so much, and you were so angry. You wouldn't even look at me. It was stupid. We were young. I just want you to know that I am sorry. I shouldn't have left you like that. I should have followed you out to the reservation. I should have convinced you to come home. I shouldn't have been there for you."

Kate shook her head against his shoulder, sighing softly. "I left first. It was my fault."

He bent his head down to rest on hers, the scruff that had grown on his cheeks over the past couple of weeks scratching her forehead.

She sighed against his shirt, her fingers coming up to play with one of the wooden buttons. "I still love you, you know. That's why it hurt so much. I think I will always love you."

Josh let out a sigh and turned his head to press a kiss into her scalp. "I will always love you, too."

Kate nodded against him again before lifting her head, turning to look at him with a sad smile, tears glistening in her eyes. "The train is coming again tomorrow. The town is putting itself back together. Lanie and Alexis have the clinic under control. Go home, Josh. You have a wife and a child waiting."

Slowly, Kate pushed herself up off the ground, her hand pressing down on his shoulder as she made her way back to her feet, his head hanging as he nodded in assent. With a final trace of her finger over the small cross, she leaned over and planted a soft kiss on his forehead, rubbing over it with her thumb, before straightening up and turning back towards the house. She never turned to look back over her shoulder. It was time to look forward.

"How long have you been out here?" She questioned as she approached her cabin.

Castle shrugged his shoulders as he stared up at her, a hat spinning between his fingers. "A few minutes. Imagine my surprise when I get back to the hotel and they tell me that you've taken off. I believe we had an entire conversation last night about me getting the wagon and picking you up so you wouldn't have to put too much strain on that leg."

Kate nodded her head as she rolled her eyes at his teasing. "What can I say, you were taking too long. I got bored and wanted to get out of there."

He nodded again as she leaned against the railing of the stairs, shifting weight off of her leg. Castle stared past her to look at Josh who was still kneeling over their daughter's grave. She watched him for a moment, waiting for the question, but it never came. He didn't was what they had been talking about. He didn't bubble with jealously over seeing her kiss him.

Castle looked back up to find her grinning down at him, her hand reaching out to brush a lock of hair out of his eyes.

"What you got there?" She questioned softly, motioning to the hat he was still spinning.

"This, my dear," Castle started as he pushed himself off of the steps so he was standing over her, "belongs to you."

He plopped the hat onto her head and her grin grew. "You brought me my hat."

Castle grinned as he bent down to kiss her, his lips meeting hers softly, and oh, too shortly, before he pulled back, reaching down to take her hand in his. "You up for going for a walk?"

Kate gave a brave nod, the throbbing in her leg, which had been there moments before, suddenly lighter.

"The train's coming tomorrow," he started as they made their way down to the tree line and along a beaten path towards the creek.

She nodded. "You have to go back to New York."

They had talked about it the night before. He would go back to New York for a couple of months, get everything in order before coming back out to live in Colorado Springs. It hadn't even been a discussion. Kate belonged out west, and Castle could write from anywhere. Alexis had wanted to stay in Colorado while he went back to New York and after a couple of arguments she had won her father over, convincing him that between Lanie, Kate and Jenny, she would be well taken care of.

"Yes, I just wanted to talk to you about something before I go."

Kate looked up at him, her arm threaded through his as they walked along side by side, her leaning against him a little more than she would have liked, for balance.

They stopped by a large, flat rock and Kate sighed in relief as she sat down, her leg stretched out in front of her. She rubbed her thigh tenderly, her focus too much on her aching limb to notice Rick kneeling down in front of her.

"What did you want to talk to me about, Rick?" she mumbled, not bothering to look up as she rubbed the heel of her hand against her knee.

When he didn't answer, she lifted her head and her huff of annoyance died on her lips as she saw him holding her mother's ring out to her.

"Your father gave me this during out hunting trip last week. He told me to make an honest woman out of you. I told him I would never be able to make you anything you didn't want to be, but I would be happy to marry you and have you make me an honest man. So, Katherine Beckett, will you marry me?"

Kate stared at him for a moment, her jaw hanging open as she forced her lungs to keep breathing. She looked at the plain gold band, with a small diamond shining from the top, in his hand and brought her eyes up to meet his.

Her head nodded slowly as she forced her jaw closed and a smile blossomed over her face. "Yes, I will."

Castle surged towards her, his arms wrapping around her middle as he lifted her up to spin her around in a circle, her legs coming up to wrap around his waist.

She slid down his body as he came to a stop and he pushed the ring down over her finger.

"I love you," he murmured as his lips came down to meet hers and she repeated the words back in kind as her mouth grinned against his.

Their kisses became long and she could feel her leg growing weaker as she leaned against him.

Slowly he lowered her to the ground and her hands came up under his shirt as her hat slid off of her head. His hands worked their way down to the buttons of her top and she gasped as she felt his lips and the cool air against the bare skin of her shoulder.

"I, um," she mumbled against his lips. "I haven't done this in a very long time."

Castle pulled back slightly, his wide eyes flickering down to her swollen lips and bare chest before locking back with hers. "Do you want to stop?"

She bit her lip, a slight blush gracing her chest and neck as she shook her head. "No, I definitely don't want to stop."

Castle nodded as her hands came up to pull his shirt over his head and he bent down so that his lips, once again, met the soft skin of her neck.

She moaned as she fell limp against her coat, the only barrier between her now bare back and the cold ground, and her knees came up to cradle him against her. "But, I swear to God, Richard Castle, if you get me pregnant, I will kill you."

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><p>Fin.<p> 


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